rnia 
1 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


below 


SOUTHERN    BRANCH 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
RY 

LC  !  F. 


4  ,      •      «i 

- 


THE    TEACHEE. 


MOKAL  INFLUENCES 


EMPLOYED  IN 


THE  INSTRUCTION  AND  GOVERNMENT 


A    NEW    AND     REVISED    EDITION. 


BY  JACOB  ABBOTT, 


SSSJftJ) 


NEW     YO  K  K  : 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHER 
FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 

1875. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred,  and  fifty-six,  by 

HARPER  &  BKOTHEKS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


/02.5 


PREFACE. 


Tins  book  is  intended  to  detail,  in  a  familiar  and 
practical  manner,  a  system  of  arrangements  for  the  or- 
ganization and  management  of  a  school,  based  on  the 
employment,  so  far  as  is  practicable,  of  Moral  Influ- 
ences, as  a  means  of  effecting  the  objects  in  view.  Its 
design  is,  not  to  bring  forward  new  theories  or  new 
plans,  but  to  develop  and  explain,  and  to  carry  out  to 
their  practical  applications  such  principles  as,  among  all 
skillful  and  experienced  teachers,  are  generally  admit- 
ted and  acted  upon.  Of  course  it  is  not  designed  for 
the  skillful  and  experienced  themselves,  but  it  is  intend- 
ed to  embody  what  they  already  know,  and  to  present 
it  in  a  practical  form  for  the  use  of  those  who  are  be- 
ginning the  work,  and  who  wish  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  experience  which  others  have  acquired. 

Although  moral  influences  are  the  chief  foundations 
on  which  the  power  of  the  teacher  over  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  his  pupils  is,  according  to  this  treatise,  to  rest, 
still  it  must  not  be  imagined  that  the  system  here  rec- 
ommended is  one  of  persuasion.  It  is  a  system  of  au- 
thority— supreme  and  unlimited  authority — a  point  es- 
sential in  all  plans  for  the  supervision  of  the  young ; 


IV  PREFACE. 

but  it  is  authority  secured  and  maintained  as  far  as 
possible  by  moral  measures.  There  will  be  no  dispute 
about  the  propriety  of  making  the  most  of  this  class  of 
means.  Whatever  difference  of  opinion  there  may  be 
on  the  question  whether  physical  force  is  necessary  at 
all,  every  one  will  agree  that,  if  ever  employed,  it  must 
be  only  as  a  last  resort,  and  that  no  teacher  ought  to 
make  war  upon  the  body,  unless  it  is  proved  that  he  can 
not  conquer  through  the  medium  of  the  mind. 

In  regard  to  the  anecdotes  and  narratives  which  are 

O  * 

very  freely  introduced  to  illustrate  principles  in  this 
work,  the  writer  ought  to  state  that,  though  they  are 
all  substantially  true — that  is,  all  except  those  which 
are  expressly  introduced  as  mere  suppositions,  he  has 
not  hesitated  to  alter  very  freely,  for  obvious  reasons, 
the  unimportant  circumstances  connected  with  them. 
He  has  endeavored  thus  to  destroy  the  personality  of 
the  narratives  without  injuring  or  altering  their  moral 
effect. 

From  the  very  nature  of  our  employment,  and  of  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  preparation  for  it  must 
be  made,  it  is  plain  that,  of  the  many  thousands  who 
are  in  the  United  States  annually  entering  the  work,  a 
very  large  majority  must  depend  for  all  their  knowledge 
of  the  art,  except  what  they  acquire  from  their  own  ob- 
servation and  experience,  on  what  they  can  obtain  from 
books.  It  is  desirable  that  the  class  of  works  from 
which  such  knowledge  can  be  obtained  should  be  in- 
creased. Some  excellent  and  highly  useful  specimens 
have  already  appeared,  and  very  many  more  would  be 
eagerly  read  by  teachers,  if  properly  prepared.  It  is 
essential,  however,  that  they  should  be  written  by  ex- 


PREFACE. 


pcricnced  teachers,  who  have  for  some  years  been  act- 
ively engaged  and  specially  interested  in  the  work ; 
that  they  should  lie  written  in  a  very  practical  and  fa- 
miliar style,  and  that  they  should  exhibit  principles 
which  arc  unquestionably  true,  and  generally  admitted 
by  good  teachers,  and  not  the  new  theories  .peculiar  to 
the  writer  himself.  In  a  word,  utility  and  practical  ef- 
fect should  be  the  only  aim. 


f       ?  '   -    33 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTEREST   IN   TEACHING. 

Source  of  enjoyment  in  teaching. — The  boy  and  the  steam-engine. — His 
contrivance. — His  pleasure,  and  the  source  of  it. — Firing  at  the  mark. 
— Plan  of  clearing  the  galleries  in  the  British  House  of  Commons. — 
Pleasure  of  experimenting,  and  exercising  intellectual  and  moral 
power. — The  indifferent  and  inactive  teacher. — His  subsequent  ex- 
periments ;  means  of  awakening  interest. — Offenses  of  pupils. — Dif- 
ferent ways  of  regarding  them. 

Teaching  really  attended  with  peculiar  trials  and  difficulties. — 1.  Moral 
responsibility  for  the  conduct  of  pupils. — 2.  Multiplicity  of  the  ob- 
jects of  attention ». Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS. 

Objects  to  be  aimed  at  in  the  general  arrangements. — Systematizing 
the  teacher's  work. — Necessity  of  having  only  one  thing  to  attend  to 
at  a  time. 

1.  Whispering  and  leaving  seats. — An  experiment. — Method  of  regula- 
ting this. — Introduction  of  the  new  plan. — Difficulties. — Dialogue 
with  pupils. — Study-card. — Construction  and  use. 

2.  Mending  pens. — Unnecessary  trouble  from  this  source. — Degree  of 
importance  to  be  attached  to  good  pens. — Plan  for  providing  them. 

3.  Answering  questions. — Evils. — Each  pupil's  fair  proportion  of  time. 
— Questions  about  lessons. — When  the  teacher  should  refuse  to  an- 
swer them. — Rendering  assistance. — When  to  be  refused. 

4.  Hearing  recitations. — Regular  arrangement  of  them. — Punctuality. — 
Plan  and  schedule. — General  exercises. — Subjects  to  be  attended  to 
at  them. 

General  arrangements  of  government. — Power  to  be  delegated  to  pu- 
pils.— Gardiner  Lyceum. — Its  government. — The  trial. — Real  repub- 
lican government  impracticable  in  schobls. — Delegated  power. — Ex- 


Mil  CONTENTS. 

pcrimcnt  with  the  writing-books. — Quarrel  about  the  nail. — Offices 
for  pupils. — Cautions. — Danger  of  insubordination. — New  plans  to 
be  introduced  gradually Page  35 

CHAPTER  III. 

INSTRUCTION. 

The  three  important  branches. — The  objects  which  arc  really  most  im- 
portant.— Advanced  scholars. — Examination  of  school  and  scholars 
at  the  outset. — Acting  on  numbers. — Extent  to  which  it  may  be  car- 
ried.— Recitation  and  Instruction. 

1 .  Recitation. — Its  object. — Importance  of  a  thorough  examination  of 
the  class. — Various  modes. — Perfect  regularity  and  order  necessary. 
— Example. — Story  of  the  pencils. — Time  wasted  by  too  minute  an  at- 
tention to  individuals. — Example. — Answers  given  simultaneously  to 
save  time. — Excuses. — Dangers  in  simultaneous  recitation. — Means 
of  avoiding  them. — Advantages  of  this  mode. — Examples. — Written 
answers. . 

2.  Instruction. — Means  of  exciting  interest. — Variety. — Examples. — 
Showing  the  connection  between  the  studies  of  school  and  the  busi- 
ness of  life. — Example  from  the  controversy  between  general  and 
state  governments. — Mode  of  illustrating  it. — Proper  way  of  meeting 
difficulties. — Leading  pupils  to  surmount  them. — True  way  to  en- 
courage the  young  to  meet  difficulties. — The  boy  and  the  wheel-bar- 
row.— Difficult  examples  in  arithmetic. 

Proper  way  of  rendering  assistance. — (1.)  Simply  analyzing  intricate 
subjects. — Dialogue  on  longitude. — (2.)  Making  previous  truths  per- 
fectly familiar. — Experiment  with  the  multiplication  table. — Latin 
Grammar  lesson. — Geometry. 

3.  General  cautions. — Doing  work  for  the  scholar. — Dullness. — Interest 
in  all  the  pupils. — Making  all  alike. — Faults  of  pupils. — The  teach- 
er's own  mental  habits. — False  pretensions 75 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MORAL     DISCIPLINE. 

First  impressions. — Story. — Danger  of  devoting  too  much  attention  to 
individual  instances. — The  profane  boy. — Case  described. — Confes- 
sion of  the  boys. — Success. — The  untidy  desk. — Measures  in  conse- 
quence.— Interesting  the  scholar's  in  the  good  order  of  the  school. — 
Securing  a  majority. — Example. — Reports  about  the  desks. — The 
new  College  building. — Modes  of  interesting  the  boys. — The  irregular 
class. — Two  ways  of  remedying  the  evil. — Boys'  love  of  system  and 


CONTENTS.  IX 

regularity. — Object  of  securing  a  majority,  and  particular  means  of 
doing  it. — Making  school  pleasant. — Discipline  should  generally  be 
private. — In  all  cases  that  are  brought  before  the  school,  public  opin- 
ion in  the  teacher's  favor  should  be  secured. — Story  of  the  rescue. — 
Feelings  of  displeasure  against  what  is  wrong. — The  teacher  under 
moral  obligation,  and  governed,  himself,  by  law. — Description  of  the 
Moral  Exercise. — Prejudice. — The  scholars'  written  remarks,  and  the 
teacher's  comments. — The  spider. — List  of  subjects. — Anonymous 
writing. — Specimens. — Marks  of  a  bad  scholar. — Consequences  of 
being  behindhand. — New  scholars. — A  satirical  spirit. — Variety. 
Treatment  of  individual  offenders. — Ascertaining  who  they  are. — Stud- 
ying their  characters. — Securing  their  personal  attachment. — Asking 
assistance. — The  whistle. — Open,  frank  dealing. — Example. — Dia- 
logue with  James. — Communications  in  writing Page  119 

CHAPTER   V. 

RELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE. 

The  American  mechanic  at  Paris. — A  Congregational  teacher  among 
Quakers. — Parents  have  the  ultimate  right  to  decide  how  their  chil- 
dren shall  be  educated. 

Agreement  in  religious  opinion  in  this  country.' — Principle  which  is  to 
guide  tlje  teacher  on  this  subject. — Limits  and  restrictions  to  religious 
influence  in  school. — Religious  truths  which  are  generally  admitted 
in  this  country. — The  existence  of  God. — Human  responsibility. — 
Immortality  of  the  s'oul. — A  revelation. — Nature  of  piety. — Salvation 
by  'Christ. — Teacher  to  do  nothing  on  this  subject  but  what  he  may 
do  by  the  common  consent  of  his  employers. — Reasons  for  explain- 
ing distinctly  these  limits. 

Particular  measures  proposed. — Opening  exercises. — Prayer.' — Singing. 
— Direct  instruction. — Mode  of  giving  it. — Example ;  arrangement  of 
the  Epistles  in  the  New  Testament. — Dialogue. — Another  example  ; 
scene  in  the  woods. — Cautions. — Affected  simplicity  of  language. — 
Evils  of  it. — Minute  details. — Example ;  motives  to  study. — Dialogue. 
— Mingling  religious  influence  with  the  direct  discipline  of  the  school. 
— Fallacious  indications  of  piety. — Sincerity  of  the  teacher 173 

CHAPTER  VI. 

MOUNT   VERNON    SCHOOL. 

Reason  for  inserting  the  description. — Advantage  of  visiting  schools, 

and  of  reading  descriptions  of  them. — Addressed  to  a  new  scholar. 
1 .  Her  personal  duty. — Study-card. — Rule. — But  one  rule. — Cases  when 


X  CONTENTS. 

this  rule  maybe  waived. — 1.  At  the  direction  of  teachers. — 2.  On  ex- 
traordinary emergencies. — Reasons  for  the  rule. — Anecdote. — Pun- 
ishments.— Incidents  described. — Confession. 

2.  Order  of  daily  exercises. — Opening  of  the  school. — Schedules. — Hours 
of  study  and  recess. — General  exercises. — Business. — Examples. — 
Sections. 

3.  Instruction  and  supervision  of  pupils.  —  Classes. — Organization. — 
Sections. — Duties  of  superintendents. 

4.  Officers. — Design  in  appointing  them. — Their  names  and  duties. — 
Example  of  the  operation  of  the  system. 

5.  The  court. — Its  plan  and  design. — A  trial  described. 

6.  Religious  instruction. — Principles  inculcated. — Measures. — Religious 
exercises  in  school. — Meeting  on  Saturday  afternoon. — Concluding 
remarks Page  205 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SCHEMING. 

Time  lost  upon  fruitless  schemes. — Proper  province  of  ingenuity  and 
enterprise. — Cautions. — Case  supposed. — The  spelling  class ;  an  ex- 
periment with  it ;  its  success  and  its  consequences. — System  of  liter- 
ary institu'Tons  in  this  country. — Directions  to  a  young  teacher  on 
the  subject  of  forming  new  plans. — New  institutions ;  new  school- 
books. — Ingenuity  and  enterprise  very  useful,  within  proper  limits. — 
Ways  of  making  known  new  plans. — Periodicals. — Family  news- 
papers.— Teachers'  meetings. 

Rights  of  committees,  trustees,  or  patrons,  in  the  control  of  the  school. 
—  Principle  which  ought  to  govern.  —  Case  supposed.  —  Extent  to 
which  the  teacher  is  bound  by  the  wishes  of  his  employers 249 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

REPORTS    OF    CASES. 

Plan  of  the  chapter. — Hats  and  bonnets. — Injury  to  clothes. — Mistakes 
which  are  not  censurable. — Tardiness ;  plan  for  punishing  it. — Helen's 
lesson. — Firmness  in  measures  united  with  mildness  of  manner. — In- 
sincere confession  :  scene  in  a  class. — Court. — Trial  of  a  case. — 
Teacher's  personal  character. — The  way  to  elevate  the  character  of 
the  employment. — Six  hours  only  to  be  devoted  to  school. — The 
chestnut  burr. — Scene  in  the  wood. — Dialogue  in  school. — An  ex- 
periment.— Series  of  lessons  in  writing. — The  correspondence. — Two 
kinds  of  management. — Plan  of  weekly  reports. — The  shopping  exer- 
cise. —  Example.  —  Artifices  in  recitations.  —  Keeping  resolutions  ; 


CONTENTS.  XI 

notes  of  teacher's  lecture. — Topics. — Plan  and  illustration  of  the  ex- 
ercise.— Introduction  of  music. — Tabu. — Mental  analysis. — Scene  in 
a  class Page  273 

CHAPTER   IX. 
THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY. 

Embarrassments  of  young  teachers  in  first  entering  upon  their  duties. 
— Preliminary  information  to  be  acquired  in  respect  to  the  school. — 
Visits  to  the  parents. — Making  acquaintance  with  the  scholars. — 
Opening  the  school. — Mode  of  setting  the  scholars  at  work  on  the 
first  day. — No  sudden  changes  to  be  made. — Misconduct. — Mode  of 
disposing  of  the  cases  of  it. — Conclusion 322 


THE    TEACHER, 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTEREST   IN   TEACHING. 


MOST  singular  contrariety  of  opinion  pre- 
vails in  the  community  in  regard  to  the 
f)leasantncss  of  the  business  of  teaching. 
Some  teachers  go  to  their  daily  task  mere- 
ly upon  compulsion  ;  _  they  regard  it  as  intolerable  drudgery. 
Others  love  the  work^  they  hover  around  the  school-room  as 
long  as  they  can,  and  never  cease  to  think,  and  seldom  to 
talk,  of  their  delightful  labors. 

Unfortunately,  there  are  too  many  of  the  former  class,  and 
the  first  object  which,  in  this  work,  I  shall  attempt  to  ac- 
complish, is  to  show  my  readers,  especially  those  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  look  upon  the  business  of  teaching  as  a 
weary  and  heartless  toil,  how  it  happens  that  it  is,  in  any 
case,  so  pleasant.  The  human  mind  is  always  essentially  the 
same.  That  which  is  tedious  and  joyless  to  one,  will  be  so 
to  another,  if  pursued  in  the  same  way,  and  under  the  same 


14 


THE   TEACH  EH. 


circumstances.  And  teaching,  if  it  is  pleasant,  animating-, 
and  exciting  to  one,  may  be  so  to  all. 

I  am  met,  however,  at  the  outset,  in  my  effort  to  show  why 
it  is  that  teaching  is  ever  a  pleasant  work,  by  the  want  of  a 
name  for  a  certain  faculty  or  capacity  of  the  human  mind, 
through  which  most  of  the  enjoyment  of  teaching  finds  its 
avenue.  Every  mind  is  so  constituted  as  to  take  a  positive 
pleasure  in  the  exercise  of  ingenuity  in  adapting  means  to  an 
end,  and  in  watching  the  operation  of  them — in  accomplish- 
ing by  the  intervention  of  instruments  what  we  could  not  ac- 
complish without — in  devising  (when  we  see  an  object  to  be 
effected  which  is  too  great  for  our  direct  and  immediate  power) 
and  setting  at  work  some  instrumcntcdity  which  may  be  suffi- 
cient to  accomplish  it. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  steam-engine  was  first  put  into 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  15 

operation,  such  was  the  imperfection  of  the  machinery,  that 
a  boy  was  necessarily  stationed  at  it  to  open  and  shut  alter- 
nately the  cock  by  which  the  steam  Avas  now  admitted  and 
noAV  shut  out  from  the  cylinder.  One  such  boy,  after  pa- 
tiently doing  his  work  for  many  days,  contrived  to  connect 
this  stop-cock  with  some  of  the  moving  parts  of  the  engine 
by  a  wire,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  engine  itself  did  the 
work  which  had  been  intrusted  to  him ;  and  after  seeing  that 
the  whole  business  would  go  regularly  forward,  he  left  the 
wire  in  charge,  and  went- away  to  play. 

Such  is  the  story.  Now  if  it  is  true,  how  much  pleasure 
the  boy  must  have  experienced  in  devising  and  witnessing 
the  successful  operation  of  his  scheme.  I  do  not  mean  the 
pleasure  of  relieving  himself  from  a  dull  and  wearisome  duty ; 
I  do  not  mean  the  pleasure  of  anticipated  play ;  but  I  mean 
the  strong  interest  he  must  have  taken  in  contriving  and  exe- 
cuting his  plan.  When,  wearied  out  with  his  dull,  monotonous 
work,  he  first  noticed  those  movements  of  the  machinery 
which  he  thought  adapted  to  his  purpose,  and  the  plan  flash- 
ed into  his  mind,  how  must  his  eye  have  brightened,  and  how 
quick  must  the  weary  listlcssncss  of  his  employment  have 
vanished.  While  he  was  maturing  his  plan  and  carrying  it 
into  execution — while  adjusting  his  wires,  fitting  them  to  the 
exact  length  and  to  the  exact  position — and  especially  when, 
at  last,  he  began  to  watch  the  first  successful  operation  of  his 
contrivance,  he  must  have  enjoyed  a  pleasure  which  very 
few  even  of  the  joyous  sports  of  childhood  could  have  sup- 
plied. 

It  is  not,  however,  exactly  the  pleasure  of  exercising  inge- 
nuity in  contrivance  that  I  refer  to  here ;  for  the  teacher  has 
not,  after  all,  a  great  deal  of  absolute  contriving  to  do,  or, 
rather,  his  principal  business  is  not  contriving.  The  greatest 
and  most  permanent  source  of  pleasure  to  the  boy,  in  such  a 
case  as  I  have  described,  is  his  feeling  that  he  is  accomplish- 
ing a  great  effect  by  a  slight  effort  of  his  own  ;  the  feeling  of 


10  THE   TEACIIEK. 

power;  acting  through  the  intervention  of  instrumentality,  so  as 
to  multiply  his  power.  So  great  would  be  this  satisfaction, 
that  he  would  almost  wish  to  have  some  other  similar  work 
assigned  him,  that  he  might  have  another  opportunity  to  con- 
trive some  plan  for  its  easy  accomplishment. 

Looking  at  an  object  to  be  accomplished,  or  an  evil  to  be 
remedied,  then  studying  its  nature  and  extent,  and  devising 
and  executing  some  means  for  effecting  the  purpose  desired, 
is,  in  all  cases,  a  source  of  pleasure ;  especially  when,  by  the 
process,  we  bring  to  view  or  into  operation  new  powers,  or 
powers  heretofore  hidden,  whether  they  arc  our  own  powers, 
or  those  of  objects  upon  which  we  act.  Experimenting  has 
a  sort  of  magical  fascination  for  all.  Some  do  not  like  the 
trouble  of  making  preparations,  but  all  are  eager  to  sec  the 
results.  Contrive  a  new  machine,  and  every  body  will  be  in- 
terested to  witness  or  to  hear  of  its  operation.  Develop  any 
heretofore  unknown  properties  of  matter,  or  secure  some  new 
useful  effect  from  laws  which  men  have  not  hitherto  employ- 
ed for  their  purposes,  and  the  interest  of  all  around  you  will 
be  excited  to  observe  your  results ;  and,  especially,  you  Avill 
yourself  take  a  deep  and  permanent  pleasure  in  guiding  and 
controlling  the  power  you  have  thus  obtained. 

This  is  peculiarly  the  case  with  experiments  upon  mind,  or 
experiments  for  producing  effects  through  the  medium  of  vol- 
untary acts  of  others,  making  it  necessary  that  the  contriver 
should  take  into  consideration  the  laws  of  mind  in  forming 
his  plans.  To  illustrate  this  by  rather  a  childish  case :  I  once 
knew  a  boy  who  was  employed  by  his  father  to  remove  all 
the  loose  small  stones,  which,  from  the  peculiar  nature  of  the 
ground,  had  accumulated  in  the  road  before  the  house.  The 
boy  was  set  at  work  by  his  father  to  take  them  up,  and  throw 
them  over  into  the  pasture  across  the  way.  He  soon  got  tired 
of  picking  up  the  stones  one  by  one,  and  so  he  sat  down  upon 
the  bank  to  tiy  to  devise  some  better  means  of  accomplishing 
his  work.  lie  at  length  conceived  and  adopted  the  follow- 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  17 

ing  plan :  He  set  up  in  the  pasture  a  narrow  board  for  a  tar- 
get, or,  as  boys  would  call  it,  a  mark,  and  then,  collecting  all 
(he  boys  of  tlie  neighborhood,  he  proposed  to  them  an  amuse- 
ment which  boys  arc  always  ready  for — filing  at  a  mark. 
The  stones  in  the  road  furnished  the  ammunition,  and,  of 
course,  in  a  very  short  time  the  road  was  cleared ;  the  boys 
working  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  leader's  task,  when 
they  supposed  they  were  only  finding  amusement  for  them- 
selves. 

Here,  now,  is  experimenting  upon  the 'mind — the  produc- 
tion of  useful  effect  with  rapidity  and  case  by  the  interven- 
tion of  proper  instrumentality — the  conversion,  by  means  of 
a  little  knowledge  of  human  nature,  of  that  which  would  have 
otherwise  been  dull  and  fatiguing  labor  into  a  most  animat- 
ing sport,  giving  pleasure  to  twenty  instead  of  tedious  labor 
to  one.  Now  the  contrivance  and  execution  of  such  plans  is 
a  source  of  positive  pleasure.  It  is  always  pleasant  to  bring 
even  the  properties  and  powers  of  matter  into  requisition  to 
promote  our  designs ;  but  there  is  a  far  higher  pleasure  in 
controlling,  and  guiding,  and  moulding  to  our  purpose  the 
movements  of  mind. 

It  is  this  which  gives  interest  to  the  plans  and  operation 
of  human  governments.  Governments  can,  in  fact,  do  little 
by  actual  force.  Nearly  all  the  power  that  is  held,  even  by 
the  most  despotic  executive,  must  be  based  on  an  adroit  man- 
agement of  the  principles  of  human  nature,  so  as  to  lead  men 
voluntarily  to  co-operate  with  the  leader  in  his  plans.  Even 
an  army  could  not  be  got  into  battle,  in  many  cases,  without 
a  most  ingenious  arrangement,  by  means  of  which  half  a  dozen 
men  can  drive,  literally  drive,  as  many  thousands  into  the 
very  face  of  danger  and  death.  The  difficulty  of  leading  men 
to  battle  must  have  been,  for  a  long  time,  a  very  perplexing 
one  to  generals.  It  was  at  last  removed  by  the  very  simple 
expedient  of  creating  a  greater  danger  behind  than  there  is 
before.  Without  ingenuity  of  contrivance  like  this,  turning 


18  THE   TEAdlEH. 

one  principle  of  human  nature  against  another,  and  making 
it  for  the  momentary  interest  of  men  to  act  in  a  given  way, 
no  government  could  stand. 

I  know  of  nothing  which  illustrates  more  perfectly  the  way 
by  which  a  knowledge  of  human  nature  is  to  be  turned  to  ac- 
count in  managing  human  minds  than  a  plan  which  was 
adopted  for  clearing  the  galleries  of  the  British  House  of  Com- 
mons many  years  ago,  before  the  present  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment were  built.  There  was  then,  as  now,  a  gallery  appro- 
priated to  spectators,  and  it  was  customary  to  require  these 
visitors  to  retire  when  a  vote  was  to  be  taken  or  private  bus- 
iness was  to  be  transacted.  When  the  officer  in  attendance 
was  ordered  to  clear  the  gallery,  it  was  sometimes  found  to 
be  a  very  troublesome  and  slow  operation ;  for  those  who 
first  went  out  remained  obstinately  as  close  to  the  doors  as 
possible,  so  as  to  secure  the  opportunity  to  come  in  again 
first  when  the  doors  should  be  re-opened.  The  consequence 
was,  there  was  so  great  an  accumulation  around  the  doors 
outside,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  for  the  crowd  to  get 
out.  The  whole  difficulty  arose  from  the  eager  desire  of  ev- 
ery one  to  remain  as  near  as  possible  to  the  door,  through 
which  they  were  to  come  lack  again.  Notwithstanding  the  ut- 
most efforts  of  the  officers,  fifteen  minutes  were  sometimes 
consumed  in  effecting  the  object,  when  the  order  was  given 
that  the  spectators  should  retire. 

The  whole  difficulty  was  removed  by  a  very  simple  plan. 
One  door  only  was  opened  when  the  crowd  was  to  retire,  and 
they  were  then  admitted,  when  the  gallery  was  opened  again, 
through  the  other.  The  consequence  was,  that  as  soon  as  the 
order  Avas  given  to  clear  the  galleries,  every  one  fled  as  fast 
as  possible  through  the  open  door  around  to  the  one  which 
was  closed,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  enter  first,  when  that,  in  its 
turn,  should  be  opened.  This  was  usutilly  in  a  few  minutes, 
as  the  purpose  for  which  the  spectators  were  ordered  to  re- 
tire was  in  most  erases  simply  to  allow  time  for  taking  a  vote. 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  19 

Here  it  will  be  seen  that,  by  the  operation  of  a  very  simple 
plan,  the  very  eagerness  of  the  crowd  to  get  back  as  soon  as 
possible,  which  had  been  the  sole  cause  of  the  difficult//,  was 
turned  to  account  most  effectually  to  the  removal  of  it.  Be- 
fore, the  first  that  went  out  were  so  eager  to  return,  that  they 
crowded  around  the  door  of  egress  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
prevent  others  going  out ;  but  by  this  simple  plan  of  ejecting 
them  by  one  door  and  admitting  them  by  another,  that  very 
eagerness  made  them  clear,  the  passage  at  once,  and  caused 
every  one  to  hurry  away  into  the  lobby  the  moment  the  com- 
mand was  given. 

The  planner  of  this  scheme  must  have  taken  great  pleas- 
ure in  witnessing  its  successful  operation ;  though  the  officer 
who  should  go  steadily  on,  endeavoring  to  remove  the  reluct- 
ant throng  by  dint  of  mere  driving,  might  well  have  found 
liis  task  unpleasant.  But  the  exercise  of  ingenuity  in  study- 
ing the  nature  of  the  difficulty  with  which  a  man  has  to  con- 
tend, and  bringing  in  some  antagonist  principle  of  human  na- 
ture to  remove  it,  or,  if  not  an  antagonist  principle,  a  similar 
principle,  operating,  by  a  peculiar  arrangement  of  circum- 
stances, in  an  antagonist  manner,  is  always  pleasant.  From 
this  source  a  large  share  of  the  enjoyment  which  men  find  in 
the  active  pursuits  of  life  has  its  origin. 

The  teacher  has  the  whole  field  which  this  subject  opens 
fully  before  him.  lie  has  human  nature  to  deal  with  most 
directly.  His  whole  work  is  one  of  experimenting  upon 
mind ;  and  the  mind  which  is  before  him  to  be  the  subject  of 
his  operation  is  exactly  in  the  state  to  be  most  easily  and 
pleasantly  operated  upon.  The  reason  now  why  some  teach- 
ers find  their  work  delightful,  and  some  find  it  wearisomc- 
ness  and  tedium  itself,  is  that  some  do  and  some  do  not  take 
this  view  of  the  nature  of  it.  One  instructor  is  like  the  en- 
gine-boy, turning,  without  cessation  or  change,  his  everlast- 
ing stop-cock,  in  the  same  ceaseless,  mechanical,  and  monot- 
onous routine.  Another  is  like  the  little  workman  in  his 


20  THE   TEACHER. 

brighter  moments,  arranging  his  invention,  and  watching 
with  delight  the  successful  and  easy  accomplishment  of  his 
wishes  by  means  of  it.  One  is  like  the  officer,  driving  by  vo- 
ciferations, and  threats,  and  demonstrations  of  violence,  tlie 
spectators  from  the  galleries.  The  other  like  the  shrewd  con- 
triver, who  converts  the  very  desire  to  return,  which  was  the 
sole  cause  of  the  difficulty,  to  a  most  successful  and  efficient 
means-  of  its  removal. 

These  principles  show  how  teaching  may,  in  some  cases, 
be  a  delightful  employment,  while  in  others  its  tasteless  dull- 
ness is  interrupted  by  nothing  but  its  perplexities  and  cares. 
The  school-room  is  in  reality  a  little  empire  of  mind.  If  the 
one  who  presides  in  it  sees  it  in  its  true  light ;  studies  the  na- 
ture and  tendency  of  the  minds  which  he  has  to  control ; 
adapts  his  plans  and  his  measures  to  the  laws  of  human  na- 
ture, and  endeavors  to  accomplish  his  purposes  for  them,  not 
by  mere  labor  and  force,  but  by  ingenuity  and  enterprise,  he 
will  take  pleasure  in  administering  his  little  government.  lie 
will  watch,  with  care  and  interest,  the  operation  of  the  moral 
and  intellectual  causes  which  he  sets  in  operation,  and  find, 
as  he  accomplishes  his  various  objects  with  increasing  facility 
and  power,  that  he  will  derive  a  greater  and  greater  pleasure 
from  his  Avork. 

Now  when  a  teacher  thus  looks  upon  his  school  ns  a  field 
in  which  he  is  to  exercise  skill,  and  ingenuity,  and  enterprise  ; 
when  he  studies  the  laws  of  human  nature,  and  the  charac- 
ter of  those  minds  upon  which  he  has  to  act ;  when  he  ex- 
plores deliberately  the  nature  of  the  field  which  he  has  to  cul- 
tivate, and  of  the  objects  which  he  wishes  to  accomplish,  and 
applies  means  judiciously  and  skillfully  adapted  to  the  ob- 
ject, he  must  necessarily  take  a  strong  interest  in  his  work. 
But  when,  on  the  other  hand,  he  goes  to  his  employment 
only  to  perform  a  certain  regular  round  of  daily  toil,  under- 
taking nothing  and  anticipating  nothing  but  this  dull  and  un- 
changeable routine,  and  when  he  looks  upon  his  pupils  mere- 


1NTEKEST   IN    TEACHING. 


21 


ly  as  passive  objects  of  his  labor?,  whom  he  is  to  treat  with 
simple  indifference  while  they  obey  his  commands,  and  to 
whom  he  is  only  to  apply  reproaches  and  punishment  when 
they  do  wrong,  such  a  teacher  never  can  take  pleasure  in  the 
school.  "Weariness  and  dullness  must  reign  in  both  master 
and  scholars  when  things,  as  ho  imagines,  arc  going  right, 
and  mutual  anger  and  crimination  when  they  go  wrong. 


22  THE  TEACIIEK. 

Scholars  never  can  be  successfully  instructed  by  the  power 
of  any  dull  mechanical  routine,  nor  can  they  be  properly  gov- 
erned by  the  blind,  naked  strength  of  the  master ;  such  means 
must  fail  of  the  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  designed,  and 
consequently  the  teacher  who  tries  such  a  course  must  have 
constantly  upon  his  mind  the  discouraging,  disheartening  bur- 
den of  unsuccessful  and  almost  useless  labor.  lie  is  contin- 
ually uneasy,  dissatisfied,  and  filled  with  anxious  cares,  and 
sources  of  vexation  and  perplexity  continually  arise.  lie  at- 
tempts to  remove  evils  by  waging  against  them  a  useless  and 
most  vexatious  warfare  of  threatening  and  punishment ;  and 
he  is  trying  continually  to  drive,  when  he  might  know  that 
neither  the  intellect  nor  the  heart  are  capable  of  being  driven. 

I  Avill  simply  state  one  case,  to  illustrate  what  I  mean  by 
the  difference  between  blind  force  and  active  ingenuity  and 
enterprise  in  the  management  of  school.  I  once  knew  the 
teacher  of  a  school  who  made  it  his  custom  to  have  Avriting 
attended  to  in  the  afternoon.  The  school  Avas  in  the  coun- 
try, and  it  Avas  the  old  times  Avhen  quills,  instead  of  steel  pen?, 
Avere  universally  used.  The  boys  were  accustomed  to  take 
their  places  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  each  one  Avould  set 
up  his  pen  in  the  front  of  his  desk  for  the  teacher  to  come 
and  mend  them.  The  teacher  would  accordingly  pass  around 
the  school-room,  mending  the  pens,  from  desk  to  desk,  thus 
enabling  the  boys,  in  succession,  to  begin  their  tusk.  Of 
course,  each  boy,  before  the  teacher  came  to  his  desk,  Avas  nec- 
essarily idle,  and,  almost  necessarily,  in  mischief.  Day  after 
day  the  teacher  Avent  through  this  regular  routine.  He  saun- 
tered slowly  and  listlessly  through  the  aisles,  and  among  the 
benches  of  the  room,  Avherevcr  he  saAv  the  signal  of  a  pen. 
lie  paid,  of  course,  very  little  attention  to  the  Avriting,  now 
and  then  reproving,  Avith  an  impatient  tone,  some  extraor- 
dinary instance  of  carelessness,  or  leaving  his  work  to  sup- 
press some  rising  disorder.  Ordinarily,  hoAvcvcr,  he  sceim  ;1 
to  be  lost  in  vacancy  of  thought,  dreaming,  perhaps,  of  other 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  23 

scenes,  or  inwardly  repining  at  the  eternal  monotony  and  te- 
dium of  a  teacher's  life.  His  boys  took  no  interest  in  their 
work,  and  of  course  made  no  progress.  They  were  some- 
times unnecessarily  idle,  and  sometimes  mischievous,  but  nev- 
er usefully  or  pleasantly  employed,  for  the  whole  hour  was 
passed  before  the  pens  could  all  be  brought  down.  Wasted 
time,  blotted  books,  and  fretted  tempers  were  all  the  results 
which  the  system  produced. 

The  same  teacher  afterward  acted  on  a  very  different  prin- 
ciple. Ho  looked  over  the  field,  and  said  to  himself,  "What 
are  the  objects  which  I  wish  to  accomplish  in  this  writing  ex- 
ercise, and  how  can  I  best  accomplish  them.  ?  I  wish  to  ob- 
tain the  greatest  possible  amount  of  industrious  and  careful 
practice  in  writing.  The  first  thing  evidently  is  to  save  the 
wasted  time."  He  accordingly  made  preparation  for  mend- 
ing the  pens  at  a  previous  hour,  so  that  all  should  be  ready, 
at  the  appointed  time,  to  commence  the  work  together.  This 
could  be  done  quite  as  conveniently  when  the  boys  were  en- 
gaged in  studying,  by  requesting  them  to  put  out  their  pens 
at  an  appointed  and  previous  time.  He  sat  at  his  table,  and 
the  pens  of  a  whole  bench  were  brought  to  him,  and,  after 
being  carefully  mended,  were  returned,  to  be  in  readiness  for 
the  writing  hour.  Thus  the  first  difficulty,  the  loss  of  time, 
was  obviated. 

"  I  must  make  them  industrious  while  they  write,"  was  his 
next  thought.  After  thinking  of  a  variety  of  methods,  he 
determined  to  try  the  following :  he  required  all  to  begin  to- 
gether at  the  top  of  the  page,  and  write  the  same  line,  in  a 
hand  of  the  same  size.  They  were  all  required  to  begin  to- 
gether, he  himself  beginning  at  the  same  time,  and  writing 
about  as  fast  as  he  thought  they  ought  to  "write  in  order  to 
secure  the  highest  improvement.  When  he  had  finished  his 
line,  he  ascertained  how  many  had  preceded  him  and  how 
many  were  behind.  lie  requested  the  first  to  write  slower, 
and  the  others  faster ;  and  by  this  mean?,  after  a  few  trial?. 


24  THE   TEACHEU. 

he  secured  uniform,  regular,  systematic,  and  industrious  em- 
ployment throughout  the  school.  Probably  there  were,  at 
first,  difficulties  in  the  operation  of  the  plan,  which  he  had  to 
devise  ways  and  means  to  surmount ;  but  what  I  mean  to 
present  particularly  to  the  reader  is,  that  he  was  interested  in 
his  experiments.  While  sitting  in  his  desk,  giving  his  com- 
mand to  Icyiti  line  after  line,  and  noticing  the  unbroken  si- 
lence, and  attention,  and  interest  which  prevailed  (for  each 
boy  was  interested  to  sec  how  nearly  with  the  master  he 
could  finish  his  work),  while  presiding  over  such  a  scene  he 
must  have  been  interested.  lie  must  have  been  pleased  with 
the  exercise  of  his  almost  military  command,  and  to  witness 
how  effectually  order  and  industry,  and  excited  and  pleased 
attention,  had  taken  the  place  of  listless  idleness  and  mutual 
dissatisfaction. 

After  a  few  days,  he  appointed  one  of  the  older  and  more 
judicious  scholars  to  give  the  word  for  beginning  and  ending 
the  lines,  and  he  sat  surveying  the  scene,  or  walking  from 
desk  to  desk,  noticing  faults,  and  considering  what  plans  he 
could  form  for  securing  more  and  more  fully  the  end  he  had 
in  view.  lie  found  that  the  great  object  of  interest  and  at- 
tention among  the  boys  was  to  come  out  right,  and  that  less 
pains  were  taken  with  the  formation  of  the  letters  than  there 
ought  to  be  to  secure  the  most  rapid  improvement. 

But  how  shall  he  secure  greater  pains'?  By  stern  com- 
mands and  threats?  By  going  from  desk  to  desk,  scolding 
one,  rapping  the  knuckles  of  another,  and  holding  up  to  rid- 
icule a  third,  making  examples  of  such  individuals  as  may 
chance  to  attract  his  special  attention  ?  No  ;  he  has  learned 
that  he  is  operating  upon  a  little  empire  of  mind,  and  that 
he  is  not  to  endeavor  to  drive  them  as  a  man  drives  a  herd, 
by  mere  peremptory  command  or  half  angry  blows.  He  must 
study  the  nature  of  the  effect  that  he  is  to  produce,  and  of 
the  materials  upon  which  he  is  to  work,  and  adopt,  after  ma- 
ture deliberation,  a  plan  to  accomplish  his  purpose  foundt  il 


1XTEKEST    IX   TEACHING.  25 

upon  the  principles  which  ought  always  to  regulate  the  ac- 
tion of  mind  upon  mind,  and  adapted  to  produce,  the  intellect- 
ual effect  which  he  wishes  to  accomplish. 

In  the  case  supposed,  the  teacher  concluded  to  appeal  to 
emulation.  While  I  describe  the  measure  he  adopted,  let  it 
be  remembered  that  I  am  now  only  approving  of  the  resort 
to  ingenuity  and  invention,  and  the  employment  of  moral  and 
intellectual  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes, 
and  not  of  the  measures  themselves.  I  am  not  sure  the  plan 
I  am  going  to  describe  is  a  wise  one ;  but  I  am  sure  that  the 
teacher,  while  trying  it,  must  have  lecn  interested  in  his  intel- 
lectual experiment.  His  business,  while  pursued  in  such  a 
way,  could  not  have  been  a  mere  dull  and  uninteresting 
routine. 

He  purchased,  for  three  cents  apiece,  two  long  lead  pen- 
cils— an  article  of  great  value  in  the  opinion  of  the  boys  of 
country  schools — and  he  offered  them,  as  prizes,  to  the  boy 
who  would  write  most  carefully ;  not  to  the  one  who  should 
write  best,  but  to  the  one  whose  book  should  exhibit  most  ap- 
pearance of  effort  and  care  for  a  week.  After  announcing 
his  plan,  he  watched  with  strong  interest  its  operation.  lie 
walked  round  the  room  while  the  writing  was  in  progress,  to 
observe  the  effect  of  his  measure.  He  did  not  reprove  those 
who  were  writing  carelessly ;  he  simply  'noticed  who  and 
how  many  they  were.  He  did  not  commend  those  who  were 
evidently  making  effort ;  he  noticed  who  and  how  many  they 
were,  that  he  might  understand  how  far,  and  upon  what  sort 
of  minds,  his  experiment  was  successful,  and  where  it  failed. 
He  was  taking  a  lesson  in  human  nature — human  nature  as 
it  exhibits  itself  in  boys — and  was  preparing  to  operate  more 
and  more  powerfully  by  future  plans.  • 

The  lesson  which  he  learned  by  the  experiment  was  this, 
that  one  or  two  prizes  will  not  influence  the  majority  of  a 
large  school.  A  few  of  the  boys  seemed  to  think  that  the 
pencils  were  possibly  within  their  reach,  and  the//  made  vig- 

F> 


2G  THE    TEACHER. 

orous  efforts  to  secure  them ;  but  the  rest  wrote  on-  as  before. 
Thinking  it  certain  that  they  should  be  surpassed  by  the  oth- 
ers, they  gave  up  the  contest  at  once  in  despair. 

The  obvious  remedy  was  to  multiply  his  prizes,  so  as  to 
bring  one  of  them  Avithin  the  reach  of  all.  He  reflected,  too, 
that  the  real  prize,  in  such  a  case,  is  not  the  value  of  the 
pencil,  but  the  honor  of  the  victory  ;  and  as  the  honor  of  the 
victory  might  as  well  be  coupled  with  an  object  of  less,  as 
well  as  Avith  one  of  greater  value,  the  next  week  he  divided 
his  two  pencils  into  quarters,  and  offered  to  his  pupils  eight 
prizes  instead  of  two.  He  offered  one  to  every  five  scholar?, 
as  they  sat  on  their  benches,  and  every  boy  then  saw  that  a 
reward  would  certainly  come  within  five  of  him.  His  chance, 
accordingly,  instead  of  being  one  in  twenty,  became  one  in  five. 

Now  is  it  possible  for  a  teacher,  after  having  philosophized 
upon  the  nature  of  the  minds  upon  which  he  is  operating, 
and  surveyed  the  field,  and  ingeniously  formed  a  plan,  Avhicli 
plan  he  hopes  will,  through  his  own  intrinsic  power,  produce 
certain  effects — is  it  possible  for  him,  Avhcn  he  comes,  for  the 
first  day,  to  witness  its  operations,  to  come  Avithout  feeling  a 
strong  interest  in  the  result  ?  It  is  not  possible.  After  hav- 
ing formed  such  a  plan,  and  made  such  arrangements,  he  Avill 
look  fomvard  almost  Avith  impatience  to  the  next  writing- 
hour,  lie  Avishfcs  to  see  whether  he  has  estimated  the  men- 
tal capacities  and  tendencies  of  his  little  community  aright ; 
and  when  the  time  comes,  and  he  surveys  the  scene,  and  ob- 
serves the  operation  of  his  measure,  and  sees  many  more  are 
reached  by  it  than  Avcrc  influenced  before,  he  feels  a  strong 
gratification,  and  it  is  a  gratification  Avhich  is  founded  upon 
the  noblest  principles  of  our  nature.  He  is  tracing,  on  a 
most  interesting  field,  "the  operation  of  cause  and  effect.  From 
being  the  mere  drudge,  who  drives,  Avithout  intelligence  or 
thought,  a  score  or  tAVO  of  boys  to  their  daily  tasks,  he  rises 
to  the  rank  of  an  intellectual  philosopher,  exploring  the  laAvs 
and  successfully  controlling  the  tendencies  of  mind. 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  27 

It  will  be  observed,  too,  that  all  the  time  this  teacher  was 
performing  these  experiments,  and  watching  with  intense  in- 
terest the  results,  his  pupils  were  going  on  undisturbed  in 
their  pursuits.  The  exercises  in  writing  were  not  interrupt- 
ed or  deranged.  This  is  a  point  of  fundamental  importance ; 
for,  if  what  I  should  say  on  the  subject  of  exercising  ingenu- 
ity and  contrivance  in  teaching  should  be  the  means,  in  any 
case,  of  leading  a  teacher  to  break  in  upon  the  regular  duties 
of  his  school,  and  destroy  the  steady  uniformity  with  which 
the  great  objects  of  such  an  institution  should  be  pursued,  my 
remarks  had  better  never  have  been  written.  There  may  be 
variety  in  methods  and  plan,  but,  through  all  this  variety, 
the  school,  and  every  individual  pupil  of  it,  must  go  steadily 
forward  in  the  acquisition  of  that  knowledge  which  is  of 
greatest  importance  in  the  business  of  future  life.  In  other 
words,  the  variations  and  changes  admitted  by  the  teacher 
ought  to  be  mainly  confined  to  the  modes  of  accomplishing 
those  permanent  objects  to  which  all  the  exercises  and  ar- 
rangements of  the  school  ought  steadily  to  aim.  More  on 
this  subject,  however,  in  another  chapter. 

I  Avill  mention  one  other  circumstance,  which  will  help  to 
explain  the  diiference  in  interest  and  pleasure  with  which 
teachers  engage  in  their  work.  I  mean  the  different  views 
they  take  of  the  offenses  of  their  pupils.  One  class  of  teachers 
seem  never  to  make  it  a  part  of  their  calculation  that  their 
pupils  will  do  wrong,  and  when  any  misconduct  occurs  they 
are  discontented  and  irritated,  and  look  and  act  as  if  some 
unexpected  occurrence  had  broken  in  upon  their  plans.  Oth- 
ers understand  and  consider  all  this  beforehand.  They  seem 
to  think  a  little,  before  they  go  into  their  school,  what  sort 
of  beings  boys  and  girls  are,  and  any  ordinary  case  of  youth- 
ful delinquency  or  dullness  does  not  surprise  them.  I  do  not 
mean  that  they  treat  such  cases  with  indifference  or  neglect, 
but  that  they  crpcct  them,  and  are  prepared  for  them.  Such  a 
teacher  knows  that  boys  and  girls  are  the  materials  he  has  to 


28 


THE   TEACHER. 


work  upon,  and  he  lakes  care  to  make  himself  acquainted 
with  these  materials,/^  as  they  arc.  The  other  class,  how- 
ever, do  not  seem  to  know  at  all  what  sort  of  beings  they 
have  to  deal  with,  or,  if  they  know,  do  not  consider.  They 
expect  from  them  what  is  not  to  be  obtained,  and  then  arc 
disappointed  and  vexed  at  the  failure.  It  is  as  if  a  carpenter 
should  attempt  to  support  an  entablature  by  pillars  of  wood 
too  small  and  weak  for  the  weight,  and  then  go  on,  from  week 
to  week,  suffering  anxiety  and  irritation  as  he  sees  them 
swelling  and  splitting  under  the  burden,  and  finding  fault 
with  the  wood  instead  of  taking  it  to  himself;  or  as  if  a  plow- 
man were  to  attempt  to  work  a  hard  and  stony  piece  of 


ground  with  a  poor  team  and  a  small  plow,  and  then,  when 
overcome  by  the  difficulties  of  the  task,  should  vent  his  vex- 
ation and  anger  in  laying  the  blame  on  the  ground  instead 
of  on  the  inadequate  and  insufficient  instrumentality  Avhich 
he  had  provided  for  subduing  it. 

It  is,  of  course,  one  essential  part  of  a  man's  duty,  in  en- 
gaging in  any  undertaking,  whether  it  will  lead  him  to  act 
upon  matter  or  upon  mind,  to  become  first  well  acquainted 
with  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  materials  he  is  to  act 
upon,  and  the  means  which  he  may  reasonably  expect  to 
have  at  his  command.  If  he  underrates  his  difficulties,  or 
overrates  the  power  of  his  means  of  overcoming  them,  it  is 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  29 

his  mistake — a  mistake  for  which  he  is  fully  responsible. 
Whatever  may  be  the  nature  of  the  effect  which  he  aims  at 
accomplishing,  he  ought  fully  to  understand  it,  and  to  ap- 
preciate justly  the  difficulties  which  lie. in  the  way. 

Teachers,  however,  very  often  overlook  this.  A  man  comes 
home  from  his  school  at  night  perplexed  and  irritated  by  the 
petty  misconduct  which  he  has  witnessed,  and  been  trying 
to  check.  Pie  does  not,  however,  look  forward  and  endeavor 
to  prevent  the  occasions  of  such  misconduct,  adapting  his 
measures  to  the  nature  of  the  material  upon  which  he  has 
to  operate,  but  he  stands,  like  the  carpenter  at  his  columns, 
making  himself  miserable  in  looking  at  it  after  it  occurs,  and 
wondering  what  to  do. 

"Sir,"  we  might  say  to  him,  "what  is  the  matter?" 

"Why,  I  have  such  boys  J  can  do  nothing  with  them. 
Were  it  not  for  their  misconduct,  I  might  have  a  very  good 
school." 

"Were  it  not  for  their  misconduct?  Why,  is  there  any 
peculiar  depravity  in  them  which  you  could  not  have  fore- 
seen r 

"No ;  I  suppose  they  arc  pretty  much  like  all  other  boys," 
he  replies,  despairingly  ;  "  they  arc  all  hair-brained  and  un- 
manageable. The  plans  I  have  formed  for  my  school  would 
bo  excellent  if  my  boys  would  only  behave  properly." 

"  Excellent  plans,"  might  we  not  reply,  "  and  yet  not 
adapted  to  the  materials  upon  which  they  arc  to  operate ! 
No.  It  is  your  business  to  know  what  sort  of  beings  boys 
arc,  and  to  make  your  calculations  accordingly." 

Two  teachers  may  therefore  manage  their  schools  in  totally 
different  ways,  so  that  one  of  them  may  necessarily  find  the 
business  a  dull,  mechanical  routine,  except  as  it  is  occasion- 
ally varied  by  perplexity  and  irritation,  and  the  other  a  pros- 
perous and  happy  employment.  The  one  goes  on  mechanic- 
ally the  same,  and  depends  for  his  power  on  violence,  or  on 


30  THE   TEACIIEK. 

threats  and  demonstrations  of  violence.  The  other  brings  all 
his  ingenuity  and  enterprise  into  the  field  to  accomplish  a, 
steady  purpose  by  means  ever  varying,  and  depends  for  his 
power  on  his  knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  on  the  adroit 
adaptation  of  planS  to  her  fixed  and  uniform  tendencies. 

I  am  very  sorry,  however,  to  be  obliged  to  say  that  proba- 
bly the  latter  class  of  teachers  are  decidedly  in  the  minority. 
To  practice  the  art  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  an  agree- 
able employment  is  difficult,  and  it  requires  much  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  much  attention  and  skill.  And,  aft- 
er all,  there  are  some  circumstances  necessarily  attending  the 
work  which  constitute  a  heavy  drawback  on  the  pleasures 
which  it  might  otherwise  afford.  The  almost  universal  im- 
pression that  the  business  of  teaching  is  attended  with  pecul- 
iar trials  and  difficulties  proves  this. 

There  must  be  some  cause  for  an  impression  so  general. 
It  is  not  right  to  call  it  a  prejudice,  for,  although  a  single 
individual  may  conceive  a  prejudice,  whole  communities  very 
seldom  do,  unless  in  some  case  which  is  presented  at  once  to 
the  whole,  so  that,  looking  at  it  through  a  common  medium, 
all  judge  Avrong  together.  But  the  general  opinion  in  re- 
gard to  teaching  is  composed  of  a  vast  number  of  separate 
and  independent  judgments,  and  there  must  be  some  good 
ground  for  the  universal  result. 

It  is  best,  therefore,  if  there  are  any  real  and  peculiar 
sources  of  trial  and  difficulty  in  this  pursuit,  that  they  should 
be  distinctly  known  and  acknowledged  at  the  outset.  Count 
the  cost  before  going  to  war.  It  is  even  better  policy  to  over- 
rate than  to  underrate  it.  Let  us  sec,  then,  what  the  real  dif- 
ficulties of  teaching  are. 

It  is  not,  however,  as  is  generally  supposed,  the  confinement. 
A  teacher  is  confined,  it  is  true,  but  not  more  than  men  of 
other  professions  and  employments ;  not  more  than  a  mer- 
chant, and  probably  not  as  much.  A  physician  is  confined 
in  a  different  way,  but  more  closely  than  a  teacher :  he  can 


INTEREST   IN   TEACHING.  31 

never  leave  home :  lie  knows  generally  no  vacation,  and  noth- 
ing but  accidental  rest. 

The  lawyer  is  confined  as  much.  It  is  true  there  arc  not 
throughout  the  year  exact  hours  which  he  must  keep,  but, 
considering  the  imperious  demands  of  his  business,  his  per- 
sonal liberty  is  probably  restrained  as  much  by  it  as  that  of 
the  teacher.  So  with  all  the  other  professions.  Although 
the  nature  of  the  confinement  may  vary,  it  amounts  to  about 
the  same  in  all.  On  the  other  hand,  the  teacher  enjoys,  in 
reference  to  this  subject  of  confinement,  an  advantage  which 
scarcely  any  other  class  of  men  does  or  can  enjoy.  I  mean 
vacations.  A  man  in  any  other  business  may  force  himself 
away  from  it  for  a  time,  but  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  his 
business  will  follow  him  Avhcrever  he  goes.  It  seems  to  be 
reserved  for  the  teacher  to  enjoy  alone  the  periodical  luxury 
of  a  real  and  entire  release  from  business  and  care.  On  the 
Avholc,  as  to  confinement,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  teacher  has 
little  ground  of  complaint. 

There  arc,  however,  some  real  and  serious  difficulties  which 
always  have,  and,  it  is  to  be  feared,  always  will,  cluster  around 
this  employment ;  and  which  must,  for  a  long  time,  at  least, 
lead  most  men  to  desire  some  other  employment  for  the  bus- 
iness of  life.  There  may  perhaps  be  some  who,  by  their  pe- 
culiar skill,  can  overcome  or  avoid  them,  and  perhaps  the  sci- 
ence of  teaching  may,  at  some  future  day,  be  so  far  improved 
that  all  may  avoid  them.  As  I  describe  them,  however,  now, 
most  of  the  teachers  into  whose  hands  this  treatise  may  fall 
will  probably  find  that  their  own  experience  corresponds,  in 
this  respect,  with  mine. 

1.  The  first  great  difficulty  which  the  teacher  feels  is  a 
sort  of  moral  responsibility  for  the  conduct  of  others.  If  his  pu- 
pils do  wrong,  he  feels  almost  personal  responsibility  for  it. 
As  he  walks  out  some  afternoon,  wearied  with  his  labors,  and 
endeavoring  to  forget,  for  a  little  time,  all  his  cares,  he  comes 
upon  a  group  of  boys  in  rude  and  noisy  quarrels,  or  engaged 


32  TIIE    TEACHER. 

in  mischief  of  some  sort,  and  his  heart  sinks  within  him.  It 
is  hard  enough  for  any  one  to  witness  their  bad  conduct  with 
a  spirit  unruffled  and  undisturbed,  but  for  their  teacher  it  is 
perhaps  impossible.  lie  feels  responsible;  in  fact,  he  is  re- 
sponsible. If  his  scholars  are  disorderly,  or  negligent,  or  idle, 
or  quarrelsome,  he  feels  condemned  himself  almost  as  if  he  were 
himself  the  actual  transgressor. 

This  difficulty  is,  in  a  great  degree,  peculiar  to  a  teacher. 
A  physician  is  called  upon  to  prescribe  for  a  patient ;  he  ex- 
amines the  case,  and  writes  his  prescription.  When  this  is 
done  his  duty  is  ended ;  and  whether  the  patient  obeys  the 
prescription  and  lives,  or  neglects  it  and  dies,  the  physician 
feels  exonerated  from  all  responsibility.  He  may,  and  in 
some  cases  docs,  feel  anxious  concern,  and  may  regret  the  in- 
fatuation by  which,  in  some  unhappy  case,  a  valuable  life 
may  be  hazarded  or  destroyed.  But  he  feels  no  moral  re- 
sponsibility for  another's  guilt. 

It  is  so  with  all  the  other  employments  in  life.  They  do, 
indeed,  often  bring  men  into  collision  with  other  men.  But, 
though  sometimes  vexed  and  irritated  by  the  conduct  of  a 
neighbor,  a  client,  or  a  patient,  they  feel  not  half  the  bitter- 
ness of  the  solicitude  and  anxiety  which  come  to  the  teacher 
through  the  criminality  of  his  pupil.  In  ordinary  cases  he 
not  only  feels  responsible  for  efforts,  but  for  their  results; 
and  when,  notwithstanding  all  his  efforts,  his  pupils  will  do 
wrong,  his  spirit  sinks  with  an  intensity  of  anxious  despond- 
ency which  none  but  a  teacher  can  understand. 

This  feeling  of  something  very  like  moral  accountability  for 
the  guilt  of  olhei*  persons  is  a  continual  burden.  The  teacher 
in  the  presence  of  the  pupil  never  is  free  from  it.  It  links 
him  to  them  by  a  bond  which  perhaps  he  ought  not  to  sun- 
der, and  which  he  can  not  sunder  if  he  would.  And  some- 
times, when  those  committed  to  his  charge  are  idle,  or  faith- 
less, or  unprincipled,  it  wears  away  his  spirits  and  his  health 
together.  I  think  there  is  nothing  analogous  to  this  moral 


INTEREST   IN    TEACHING.  33 

connection  between  teacher  and  pupil  unless  it  be  in  the 
case  of  a  parent  and  child.  And  here,  on  account  of  the 
comparative  suxallness  of  the  number  under  the  parent's  care, 
the  evil  is  so  much  diminished  that  it  is  easily  borne. 

2.  The  second  great  difficulty  of  the  teacher's  employ- 
ments is  the  immense  multiplicity  of  the  objects  of  his  attention 
and  care  during  the  time  he  is  employed  in  his  business. 
His  scholars  are  individuals,  and  notwithstanding  all  that 
the  most  systematic  can  do  in  the  way  of  classification,  they 
must  be  attended  to  in  a  great  measure  as  individuals.  A 
merchant  keeps  his  commodities  together,  and  looks  upon  a 
cargo  composed  of  ten  thousand  articles,  and  worth  a  hund- 
red thousand  dollars,  as  one ;  he  speaks  of  it  as  one ;  and 
there  is,  in  many  cases,  no  more  perplexity  in  planning  its 
destination  than  if  it  were  a  single  box  of  raisins.  A  law- 
yer may  have  a  great  many  important  cases,  but  he  has  only 
one  at  a  time ;  that  is,  he  attends  to  but  one  at  a  time. 
The  one  may  be  intricate,  involving  many  facts,  and  requir- 
ing to  be  examined  in  many  aspects  and  relations.  But  he 
looks  at  but  few  of  these  facts  and  regards  but  few  of  these 
relations  at  a  time.  The  points  which  demand  his  attention 
come  one  after  another  in  regular  succession.  His  mind 
may  thus  be  kept  calm.  He  avoids  confusion  and  perplex- 
ity. But  no  skill  or  classification  will  turn  the  poor  teach- 
er's hundred  scholars  into  one,  or  enable  him,  except  to  a 
very  limited  extent,  and  for  a  very  limited  purpose,  to  re- 
gard them  as.  one.  He  has  a  distinct  and,  in  many  respects, 
a  different  work  to  do  for  every  one  of  the  crowd  before  him. 
Difficulties  must  be  explained  in  detail,  questions  must  be 
answered  one  by  one,  and  each  scholar's  own  conduct  must 
be  considered  by  itself.  His  work  is  thus  made  up  of  a 
thousand  minute  particulars,  which  are  all  crowding  upon 
his  Attention  at  once,  and  which  he  can  not  group  together, 
or  combine,  or  simplify.  He  must,  by  some  means  or  other, 
attend  to  them  in  all  their  distracting  individuality.  And, 

P>  2 


34  THE   TEACHER. 

in  a  large  and  complicated  school,  the  endless  multiplicity 
and  variety  of  objects  of  attention  and*  care  impose  a  task 
under  which  few  intellects  can  long  stand. 

I  have  said  that  this  endless  multiplicity  and  variety  can 
not  be  reduced  and  simplified  by  classification.  I  mean,  of 
course,  that  this  can  be  done  only  to  a  very  limited  extent 
compared  with  what  may  be  effected  in  the  other  pursuits 
of  mankind.  Were  it  not  for  the  art  of  classification  and 
system,  no  school  could  have  more  than  ten  scholars,  as  I  in- 
tend hereafter  to  show.  The  great  reliance  of  the  teacher 
is  upon  this  art,  to  reduce  to  some  tolerable  order  what 
would  otherwise  be  the  inextricable  confusion  of  his  busi- 
ness. Pie  must  le  systematic.  He  must  classify  and  arrange ; 
but,  after  he  has  done  all  that  he  can,  he  must  still  expect 
that  his  daily  business  will  continue  to  consist  of  a  vast  mul- 
titude of  minute  particulars,  from  one  to  another  of  which 
the  mind  must  turn  with  a  rapidity  which  few  of  the  other 
employments  of  life  ever  demand. 

These  are  the  essential  sources  of  difficulty  with  which  the 
teacher  has  to  contend ;  but,  as  I  shall  endeavor  to  show  in 
succeeding  chapters,  though  they  can  not  be  entirely  re- 
moved, they  can  be  so  far  mitigated  by  the  appropriate 
means  as  to  render  the  employment  a  happy  one.  I  have 
thought  it  best,  however,  as  this  work  will  doubtless  be  rend 
by  many  who,  when  they  read  it,  are  yet  to  begin  their  la- 
bors, to  describe  frankly  and  -fully  to  them  the  difficulties 
which  beset  the  path  they  are  about  to  enter.  "  The  wis- 
dom of  the  prudent  is  to  understand  his  Avay."  It  is  often 
wisdom  to  understand  it  beforehand. 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS. 


35 


CHAPTER  II. 

GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS. 


HE  distraction  and  perplexity  of  the  teacher's  life  arc,  as 
was  explained  in  the  last  chapter,  almost  proverbial.  There 
arc  other  pressing  and  exhausting  pursuits,  which  wear  away 
the  spirit  by  the  ceaseless  care  which  they  impose,  or  perplex 
and  bewilder  the  intellect  by  the  multiplicity  and  intricacy 
of  their  details  ;  but  the  business  of  teaching,  by  a  pre-emi- 
nence not  very  enviable,  stands,  almost  by  common  consent, 
at  the  head  of  the  catalogue. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  this  subject  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  probably  the  majority  of  actual  teachers  will  ad- 
mit the  truth  of  the  view  there  presented.  Some  will,  how- 
ever, doubtless  say  that  they  do  not  find  the  business  of  teach- 
ing so  perplexing  and  exhausting  an  employment.  They 
take  things  calmly.  They  do  one  thing  at  a  time,  and  that 
without  useless  solicitude  and  anxiety.  So  that  teaching, 
with  them,  though  it  has,  indeed,  its  solicitudes  and  cares,  as 
every  other  responsible  employment  must  necessarily  have, 
is,  after  all,  a  calm  and  quiet  pursuit,  which  they  follow  from 
month  to  month,  and  from  year  to  year,  without  any  extra- 
ordinary agitations,  or  any  unusual  burdens  of  anxiety  and 
care. 


36  THE   TEACIIEK. 

There  are,  indeed,  such  cases,  but  they  arc  exceptions,  and 
unquestionably  a  considerable  majority,  especially  of  those 
•who  arc  beginners  in  the  work,  find  it  such  as  I  have  de- 
scribed. I  think  it  need  not  be  so,  or,  rather,  I  think  the 
evil  may  be  avoided  to  a  very  great  degree.  In  this  chapter  I 
shall  endeavor  to  show  how  order  may  be  produced  out  of 
that  almost  inextricable  mass  of  confusion  into  which  so 
many  teachers,  on  commencing  their  labors,  find  themselves 
plunged. 

The  objects,  then,  to  be  aimed  at  in  the  general  arrange- 
ments of  schools  are  twofold  : 

1.  That  the  teacher  may  be  left  uninterrupted,  to  attend 
to  one  thing  at  a  time. 

2.  That  the  individual  scholars  may  have  constant  em- 
ployment, and  such  an  amount  and  such  kinds  of  study  as 
shall  be  suited  to  the  circumstances  and  capacities  of  each. 

I  shall  examine  each  in  their  order. 

1.  The  following  are  the  principal  things  which,  in  a  vast 
number  of  schools,  arc  all  the  time  pressing  upon  the  teach- 
er ;  or,  rather,  they  are  the  things  which  must  every  where 
press  upon  the  teacher,  except  so  far  as,  by  the  skill  of  his 
arrangements,  he  contrives  to  remove  them. 

1.  Giving  leave  to  whisper  or  to  leave  seats. 

2.  Distributing  and  changing  pens. 

3.  Answering  questions  in  regard  to  studies. 

4.  Hearing  recitations. 

5.  Watching  the  behavior  of  the  scholars. 

G.  Administering  reproof  and  punishment  for  offenses  as 
they  occur. 

A  pretty  large  number  of  objects  of  attention  and  care,  one 
would  say,  to  be  pressing  upon  the  mind  of  the  teacher  at  one 
and  the  same  time — and  all  the  lime  too !  Hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  teachers  in  every  part  of  our  country,  there  is  no 
doubt,  have  all  these  crowding  upon  them  from  morning  to 
night,  with  no  cessation,  except  perhaps  some  accidental  and 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS.  37 

momentary  respite.  During  the  winter  months,  while  the 
principal  common  schools  in  our  country  are  in  operation,  it 
is  sad  to  reflect  how  many  teachers  come  home  every  even- 
ing with  bewildered  and  aching  heads,  having  been  vainly 
trying  all  the  day  to  do  six  things  at  a  time,  while  He  who 
made  the  human  mind  has  determined  that  it  shall  do  but 
one.  How  many  become  discouraged  and  disheartened  by 
what  they  consider  the  unavoidable  trials  of  a  teacher's  life, 
and  give  up  in  despair,  just  because  their  faculties  will  not 
sustain  a  six-fold  task.  There  are  multitudes  who,  in  early 
life,  attempted  teaching,  and,  after  having  been  worried,  al- 
most to  distraction,  by  the  simultaneous  pressure  of  these 
multifarious  cares,  gave  up  the  employment  in  disgust,  and 
now  unceasingly  wonder  how  any  body  can  like  teaching.  I 
know  multitudes  of  persons  to  whom  the  above  description 
will  exactly  apply. 

I  once  heard  a  teacher  who  had  been  very  successful,  even 
in  large  schools,  say  that  he  could  hear  two  classes  recite, 
mend  pens,  and  watch  his  school  all  at  the  same  time,  and 
that  without  any  distraction  of  mind  or  any  unusual  fatigue. 
Of  course  the  recitations  in  such  a  case  must  be  from  mem- 
ory. There  are  very  few  minds,  however,  which  can  thus 
perform  triple  or  quadruple  work,  and  probably  none  which 
can  safely  be  tasked  so  severely.  For  my  part,  I  can  do  but 
one  thing  at  a  time ;  and  I  have  no  question  that  the  true 
policy  for  all  is  to  learn  not  to  do  every  thing  at  once,  but  so 
to  classify  and  arrange  their  work  that  they  shall  have  but  one 
thing  at  once  to  do.  Instead  of  vainly  attempting  to  attend 
simultaneously  to  a  dozen  things,  they  should  so  plan  their 
work  that  only  one  will  demand  attention. 

Let  us,  then,  examine  the  various  particulars  above  men- 
tioned in  succession,  and  see  how  each  can  be  disposed  of,  so 
as  not  to  be  a  constant  source  of  interruption  and  derange- 
ment. 

1.  Whispering  and  leaving  scats.     In  regard  to  this  subject 


38  TIIK   TEACHEK. 

there  arc  very  different  methods  now  in  practice  in  different 
schools.  In  some,  especially  in  very  small  schools,  the  teach- 
er allows  the  pupils  to  act  according  to  their  own  discretion. 
They  whisper  and  leave  their  seats  whenever  they  think  it 
necessary.  This  plan  may  possibly  be  admissible  in  a  very 
small  school,  that  is,  in  one  of  ten  or  twelve  pupils.  I  am 
convinced,  however,  that  it  is  a  very  bad  plan  even  here.  No 
vigilant  watch  which  it  is  possible  for  any  teacher  to  exert 
will  prevent  a  vast  amount  of  mere  talk  entirely  foreign  to 
the  business  of  the  school.  I  tried  this  plan  very  thorough- 
ly, with  high  ideas  of  the  dependence  which  might  be  placed 
upon  conscience  and  a  sense  of  duty,  if  these  principles  arc 
properly  brought  out  to  action  in  an  effort  to  sustain  the  sys- 
tem. I  was  told  by  distinguished  teachers  that  it  would  not 
be  found  to  answer.  But  predictions  of  failure  in  such  cases 
only  prompt  to  greater  exertions,  and  I  persevered.  But  I 
was  forced  at  last  to  give  up  the  point,  and  adopt  another 
plan.  My  pupils  would  make  resolutions  enough  ;  they  un- 
derstood their  duty  well  enough.  They  were  allowed  to 
leave  their  seats  and  whisper  to  their  companions  whenever, 
in  their  honest  judgment,  it  was  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of 
their  studies,  I  knew  that  it  sometimes  would  be  necessary, 
and  I  was  desirous  to  adopt  this  plan  to  save  myself  the  con- 
stant interruption  of  hearing  and  replying  to  requests.  But 
it  would  not  do.  Whenever,  from  time  to  time,  I  called  them 
to  account,  I  found  that  a  large  majority,  according  to  their 
own  confession,  were  in  the  habit  of  holding  daily  and  delib- 
erate communication  with  each  other  on  subjects  entirely 
foreign  to  the  business  of  the  school.  A  more  experienced 
teacher  would  have  predicted  this  result ;  but  I  had  very 
high  ideas  of  the  power  of  cultivated  conscience,  and,  in  fact, 
still  have.  But  then,  like  most  other  persons  who  become 
possessed  of  a  good  idea,  I  could  not  be  satisfied  without  car- 
rying it  to  an  extreme. 

Still  it  is  necessary,  in  ordinary  schools,  to  give  pupils 


GENERAL   AllKANGEMEXTS.  39 

sometimes  tho  opportunity  to  whisper  and  leave  scats.* 
Cases  occur  where  this  is  unavoidable.  It  can  not,  there- 
fore, be  forbidden  altogether.  How,  then,  you  will  ask,  can 
the  teacher  regulate  this  practice,  so  as  to  prevent  the  evils 
which  will  otherwise  flow  from  it,  without  being  continually 
interrupted  by  the  request  for  permission  ? 

By  a  very  simple  method.  Appropriate  particular  times  at 
which  all  this  business  is  to  le  done,  and  forlid  it  altogether  at 
every  other  time.  It  is  well,  on  other  accounts,  to  give  the 
pupils  of  a  school  a  little  respite,  at  least  every  hour ;  and 
if  this  is  done,  an  intermission  of  study  for  two  minutes  each 
time  will  be  sufficient.  During  this  time  general  permission 
should  be  given  for  the  pupils  to  speak  to  each  other,  or  to 
leave  their  scats,  provided  they  do  nothing  at  such  a  time  to 
disturb  the  studies  of  Others.  This  plan  I  have  myself  very 
thoroughly  tested,  and  no  arrangement  which  I  ever  made 
operated  for  so  long  a  time  so  uninterruptedly  and  so  entire- 
ly to  my  satisfaction  as  this.  It  pf  course  Avill  require  some 
little  time,  and  no  little  firmness,  to  establish  the  new  order 
of  things  where  a  school  has  been  accustomed  to  another 
course ;  but  where  this  is  once  done,  I  know  no  one  plan  so 
simple  and  so  easily  put  into  execution  which  will  do  so 
much  toward  relieving  the  teacher  of  the  distraction  and  per- 
plexity of  his  pursuits. 

In  making  the  change,  however,  it  is  of  fundamental  im- 
portance that  the  pupils  should  themselves  be  interested  in 
it.  Their  co-operation,  or,  rather,  the  co-operation  of  the 
majority,  which  it  is  very  easy  to  obtain,  is  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  success.  I  say  this  is  very  easily  obtained.  Let  us 
suppose  that  some  teacher,  Avho  has  been  accustomed  to  re- 
quire his  pupils  to  ask  and  obtain  permission  every  time  they 
wish  to  speak  to  a  companion,  is  induced  by  these  remarks 
to  introduce  this  plan.  He  says,  accordingly,  to  his  school, 

*  There  arc  some  large  and  peculiarly-organized  schools  in  cities  and 
large  towns  to  which  this  remark  may  perhaps  not  apply. 


40  THE   TEACIIEH. 

"  You  know  that  you  are  now  accustomed  to  ask  me 
whenever  you  wish  to  obtain  permission  to  Avhisper  to  a- 
companion  or  to  leave  your  seats ;  now  I  have  been  think- 
ing of  a  plan  which  will  be  better  for  both  you  and  me.  By 
our  present  plan  you  are  sometimes  obliged  to  wait  before  I 
can  attend  to  your  request.  Sometimes  I  think  it  is  unnec- 
essary, and  deny  you,  when  perhaps  I  was  mistaken,  and  it 
was  really  necessary.  At  other  times,  I  think  it  very  prob- 
able that  when  it  is  quite  desirable  for  you  to  leave  your 
seat  you  do  not  ask,  because  you  think  you  may  not  obtain 
permission,  and  you  do  not  wish  to  ask  and  be  refused.  Do 
you,  or  not,  experience  these  inconveniences  from  our  pres- 
ent plans  ?" 

The  pupils  would  undoubtedly  answer  in  the  affirmative. 

"  I  myself  experience  great  inconvenience  too.  I  am  very 
frequently  interrupted  when  busily  engaged,  and  it  also  oc- 
cupies a  great  portion  of  my  time  and  attention  to  consider 
and  answer  your  requests  for  permission  to  speak  to  one  an- 
other and  to  leave  your  seats.  It  requires  as  much  mental 
effort  to  consider  and  decide  whether  I  ought  to  allow  a  pu- 
pil to  leave  his  seat,  as  it  would  to  determine  a  much  more 
important  question ;  therefore  I  do  not  like  Our  present  plan, 
and  I  have  another  to  propose." 

The  pupils  are  now  all  attention  to  know  what  the  new 
plan  is.  It  will  always  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  school 
for  the  teacher  to  propose  his  new  plans  from  time  to  time 
to  his  pupils  in  such  a  way  as  this.  It  interests  them  in  the 
improvement  of  the  school,  exercises  their  judgment,  estab- 
lishes a  common  feeling  between  teacher  and  pupil,  and  in 
many  other  ways  assists  very  much  in  promoting  the  welfare 
of  the  school. 

"My  plan,"  continues  the  teacher,  "is  this:  to  allow  you 
all,  besides  the  recess,  a  short  time,  two  or  three  minutes 
perhaps,  every  hour"  (or  every  half  hour,  according  to  the 
character  of  the  school,  the  age  of  the  pupils,  or  other  cir- 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  41 

cumstanccs,  to  bo  judged  of  "by  the  teacher),  "during  which 
you  may  all  whisper  or  leave  your  scats  ivithout  asking  per- 
mission." 

Instead  of  deciding  the  question  of  the  frequency  of  this 
general  permission,  the  teacher  may,  if  he  pleases,  leave  it 
to  the  pupils  to  decide.  It  is  often  useful  to  leave  the  de- 
cision of  such  a  question  to  them.  On  this  subject,  how- 
ever, I  shall  speak  in  another  place.  It  is  only  necessary 
here  to  say  that  this  point  may  be  safely  left  to  them,  since 
the  time  is  so  small  which  is  to  be  thus  appropriated.  Even 
if  they  vote  to  have  the  general  permission  to  whisper  every 
half  hour,  it  will  make  but  eight  minutes  in  the  forenoon. 
There  being  six  half  hours  in  the  forenoon,  and  one  of  them 
ending  at  the  close  of  school,  and  another  at  the  recess,  only 
four  of  these  rests,  as  a  military  man  would  call  them,  would 
be  necessary ;  and  four,  of  two  minutes  each,  would  make 
eight  minutes.  If  the  teacher  thinks  that  evil  would  result 
from  the  interruption  of  the  studies  so  often,  he  may  offer 
the  pupils  three  minutes  rest  every  hour  instead  of  two  min- 
utes every  half  hour,  and  let  them  take  their  choice ;  or  he 
may  decide  the  case  altogether  himself. 

Such  a  change,  from  particular  permission  on  individual  re- 
quests to  general  permission  at  stated  times,  would  unquestion- 
ably be  popular  in  every  school,  if  the  teacher  managed  the 
business  properly.  And  by  presenting  it  as  an  object  of  com- 
mon interest,  an  arrangement  proposed  for  the  common  con- 
venience of  teacher  and  pupils,  the  latter  may  be  much  in- 
terested in  carrying  the  plan  into  effect.  We  must  not  rely, 
however,  entirely  upon  their  interest  in  it.  All  that  we  can 
expect  from  such  an  effort  to  interest  them,  as  I  have  de- 
scribed and  recommended,  is  to  get  a  majority  on  our  side, 
so  that  we  may  have  only  a  small  minority  to  deal  with  by 
other  measures.  Still,  we  must  calculate  on  having  this  minor- 
ity, and  form  our  plans  accordingly,  or  we  shall  be  greatly  dis- 
appointed. I  shall,  however,  in  another  place,  speak  of  this 


42  TIIE   TEACHER. 

principle  of  interesting  the  pupils  in  our  plans  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securing  a  majority  in  our  fiivor,  and  explain  the 
methods  by  which  the  minority  is  then  to  be  governed.  I 
only  mean  here  to  say  that,  by  such  means,  the  teacher  may 
easily  interest  a  large  proportion  of  the  scholars  in  carrying 
his  plans  into  effect^  and  that  he  must  expect  to  be  prepared 
with  other  measures  for  those  who  will  not  be  governed  by 
these. 

You  can  not  reasonably  expect,  however,  that,  immediate- 
ly after  having  explained  your  plan,  it  will  at  once  go  into 
full  and  complete  operation.  Even  those  who  are  firmly  de- 
termined to  keep  the  rule  will,  from  inadvertence,  for  a  day 
or  two,  make  communication  with  each  other.  They  must 
be  trained,  not  by  threatening  and  punishment,  but  by  your 
good-humored  assistance,  to  their  new  duties.  When  I  first 
adopted  this  plan  in  my  school,  something  like  the  following 
proceedings  took  place. 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  you  will  perfectly  keep  this  rule 
from  this  time'?" 

"  No,  sir,"  was  the  answer. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  not.  Some,  I  am  afraid,  may  not  re- 
ally be  determined  to  keep  it,  and  others  will  forget.  Now 
I  wish  that  every  one  of  you  would  keep  an  exact  account 
to-day  of  all  the  instances  in  which  you  speak  to  another  per- 
son, or  leave  your  seat,  out  of  the  regular  times,  and  be  pre- 
pared to  report  them  at  the  close  of  the  school.  Of  course, 
there  will  be  no  punishment ;  but  it  will  very  much  assist 
you  to  watch  yourselves,  if  you  expect  to  make  a  report  at 
the  end  of  the  forenoon.  Do  you  like  this  plan  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  was  the  answer;  and  all  seemed  to  enter  into 
it  with  spirit. 

In  order  to  mark  more  definitely  the  times  for  communi- 
cation, I  wrote,  in  large  letters,  on  a  piece  of  pasteboard, 
"  STUDY  HOURS,"  and  making  a  hole  over  the  centre  of  it,  I 
hung  it  upon  a  nail  over  my  desk.  At  the  close  of  each  half 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  4o 

hour  a  little  bell  was  to  be  struck,  anil  this  card  was  to  be 
taken  down.  When  it  was  up,  they  were,  on  no  occasion 
whatever  (except  some  such  extraordinary  occurrence  as  sick- 
ness, or  my  sending  one  of  them  on  a  message  to  another,  or 
something  clearly  out  of  the  common  course)  to  speak  to  each 
other;  but  were  to  wait,  whatever  they  wanted,  until  the 
Study  Card,  as  they  called  it,  was  taken  down. 

"  Suppose  now,"  said  I,  "  that  a  young  lady  has  come 
into  school,  and  has  accidentally  left  her  book  in  the  entry — 
the  book  from  which  she  is  to  study  during  the  first  half  hour 
of  the  school.  She  sits  near  the  door,  and  she  might,  in  a 
moment,  slip  out  and  obtain  it.  If  she  does  not,  she  must 
spend  the  half  hour  in  idleness,  and  be  unprepared  in  her  les- 
son. What  is  it  her  duty  to  do  ?" 

"To  go,"  "Not  to  go,"  answered  the  scholars,  simultane- 
ously. 

"  It  would  be  her  duty  not  to  go ;  but  I  suppose  it  will  be 
very  difficult  for  me  to  convince  you  of  it. 

"  The  reason  is  this,"  I  continued  ;  "  if  the  one  case  I  have 
supposed  were  the  only  one  which  would  be  likely  to  occur, 
it  would  undoubtedly  be  better  for  her  to  go ;  but  if  it  is  un- 
derstood that  in  such  cases  the  rule  may  be  dispensed  with, 
that  understanding  will  tend  very  much  to  cause  such  cases 
to  occur.  Scholars  will  differ  in  regard  to  the  degree  of  in- 
convenience which  they  must  submit  to  rather  than  break 
the  rule.  They  will  gradually  do  it  on  slighter  and  slighter 
occasions,  until  at  last  the  rule  will  be  disregarded  entirely. 
We  must  therefore  draw  a  precise  line,  and  individuals  must 
submit  to  a  little  inconvenience  sometime?  to  promote  the 
general  good." 

At  the  close  of  the  day  I  requested  all  in  the  school  to 
rise.  While  they  were  standing,  I  called  them  to  account  in 
the  following  manner : 

"  Now  it  is  very  probable  that  some  have,  from  inadvert- 
ence or  from  design,  omitted  to  keep  an  account  of  the  num- 


44  THE   TEACHER. 

ber  of  transgressions  of  the  rule  which  they  have  committed 
during  the  day ;  others,  perhaps,  do  not  wish  to  make  a  re- 
port of  themselves.  Now  as  this  is  a  common  and  voluntary 
effort,  I  wish  to  have  none  render  assistance  who  do  not,  of 
their  own  accord,  desire  to  do  so.  All  those,  therefore,  who 
are  not  able  to  make  a  report,  from  not  having  been  correct 
in  keeping  it,  and  all  those  who  are  unwilling  to  report  them- 
selves, may  sit." 

A  very  small  number  hesitatingly  took  their  scats. 

"I  am  afraid  that  all  do  not  sit  who  really  wish  not  to 
report  themselves.  Now  I  am  honest  in  saying  I  wish  you 
to  do  just  as  you  please.  If  a  great  majority  of  the  school 
really  Avish  to  assist  me  in  accomplishing  the  object,  why,  of 
course,  I  am  glad ;  still,  I  shall  not  call  upon  any  for  such 
assistance  unless  it  is  freely  and  voluntarily  rendered." 

One  or  two  more  took  their  seats  while  these  things  were 
saying.  Among  such  there  would  generally  be  some  who 
would  refuse  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the  measure  sim- 
ply from  a  desire  to  thwart  and  impede  the  plans  of  the  teach- 
er. If  so,  it  is  best  to  take  no  notice  of  them.  If  the  teach- 
er can  contrive  to  obtain  a  great  majority  upon  his  side,  so 
as  to  let  them  see  that  any  opposition  which  they  can  raise 
is  of  no  consequence  and  is  not  even  noticed,  they  will  soon 
be  ashamed  of  it. 

The  reports,  then,  of  those  Avho  remained  standing  were 
called  for ;  first,  those  who  had  whispered  only  once  were 
requested  to  sit,  then  those  who  had  whispered  more  than 
once  and  less  than  five  times,  and  so  on,  until  at  last  all  were 
down.  In  such  a  case  the  pupils  might,  if  thought  expedi- 
ent, again  be  requested  to  rise  for  the  purpose  of  asking  some 
other  questions  with  reference  to  ascertaining  whether  they 
had  spoken  most  in  the  former  or  latter  part  of  the  forenoon. 
The  number  who  had  spoken  inadvertently,  and  the  number 
who  had  done  it  by  design,  might  be  ascertained.  These  in- 
quiries accustom  the  pupils  to  render  honest  and  faithful  ac- 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  45 

counts  of  themselves.  They  become,  by  such  means,  famil- 
iarized to  the  practice,  and  by  means  of  it.  the  teacher  can 
many  times  receive  most  important  assistance. 

In  all  this,  however,  the  teacher  should  speak  in  a  pleas- 
ant tone,  and  maintain  a  pleasant  and  cheerful  air.  The  ac- 
knowledgments should  be  considered  by  the  pupils  not  as  con- 
fessions of  guilt  for  which  they  are  to  be  rebuked  or  punish- 
ed, but  as  voluntary  and  free  reports  of  the  result  of  an  cx- 
pcriment  in  which  all  were  interested. 

Some  will  have  been  dishonest  in  their  reports  :  to  dimin- 
ish the  number  of  these,  the  teacher  may  say,  after  the  report 
is  concluded, 

"We  will  drop  the  subject  here  to-day.  To-morrow  we 
will  make  another  effort,  when  we  shall  be  more  successful. 
I  have  taken  your  reports  as  you  have  offered  them  without 
any  inquiry,  because  I  had  no  doubt  that  a  great  majority 
of  this  school  would  be  honest  at  all  hazards.  They  would 
not,  I  am  confident,  make  a  false  report  even  if,  by  a  true 
one,  they  were  to  bring  upon  themselves  punishment ;  so  that 
I  think  I  may  have  confidence  that  nearly  all  these  reports 
have  been  faithful.  Still  it  is  very  probable  that  among  so 
large  a  number  some  may  have  made  a  report  which,  they 
are  now  aware,  was  not  perfectly  fair  and  honest.  I  do  not 
wish  to  know  who  they  are ;  if  there  are  any  such  cases,  I 
only  wish  to  say  to  the  rest  how  much  pleasanter  it  is  for 
you  that  you  have  been  honest  and  open.  The  business  is 
now  all  ended ;  you  have  done  your  duty ;  and,  though  you 
reported  a  little  larger  number  than  you  would  if  you  had 
been  disposed  to  conceal  your  faults,  yet  you  go  away  from 
school  with  a  quiet  conscience.  On  the  other  hand,  how 
miserable  must  any  boy  feel,  if  he  has  any  nobleness  of  mind 
whatever,  to  go  away  from  school  to-day  thinking  that  he 
has  not  been  honest ;  that  he  has  been  trying  to  conceal  his 
faults,  and  thus  to  obtain  a  credit  which  he  did  not  justly  de- 
serve. Always  be  hone.st,  let  the  consequence  be  what  it  may.'' 


46  THE   TEACHER. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  object  of  such  meas- 
ures is  simply  to  secure  as  large  a  majority  as  possible  to  make 
voluntary  efforts  to  observe  the  rule.  I  do  not  expect  that 
by  such  measures  universal  obedience  can  be  exacted.  The 
teacher  must  follow  up  the  plan  after  a  few  days  by  other 
measures  for  those  pupils  who  will  not  yield  to  such  induce- 
ments as  these.  Upon  this  subject,  however,  I  shall  speak 
more  particularly  at  a  future  time. 

In  my  own  school  it  required  two  or  three  weeks  to  ex- 
clude whispering  and  communication  by  signs.  The  period 
necessary  to  effect  the  revolution  will  be  longer  or  shorter, 
according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  school  and  the  dexter- 
ity of  the  teacher;  and,  after  all,  the  teacher  must  not  hope 
entirely  to  exclude  it.  Approximation  to  excellence  is  all 
that  we  can  expect ;  for  unprincipled  and  deceiving  charac- 
ters will  perhaps  always  be  found,  and  no  system  whatever 
can  prevent  their  existence.  Proper  treatment  may  indeed 
be  the  means  of  their  reformation,  but  before  this  process 
has  arrived  at  a  successful  result,  others  similar  in  character 
will  have  entered  the  school,  so  that  the  teacher  can  never 
expect  perfection  in  the  operation  of  any  of  his  plans. 

I  found  so  much  relief  from  the  change  which  this  plan 
introduced,  that  I  soon  took  measures  for  rendering  it  per- 
manent ;  and  though  I  am  not  much  in  favor  of  efforts  to 
bring  all  teachers  and  all  schools  to  the  same  plans,  this  prin- 
ciple of  whispering  at  limited  and  prescribed  times  alone  seems 
to  me  well  suited  to  universal  adoption. 

The  following  simple  apparatus  has  been  used  in  several 
schools  where  this  principle  has  been  adopted.  A  drawing 
and  description  of  it  is  inserted  here,  as  by  this  means  some 
teachers,  who  may  like  to  try  the  course-  here  recommended, 
may  be  saved  the  time  and  trouble  of  contriving  something 
of  the  kind  themselves. 

The  figure  a  a  a  a  on  the  next  page  is  a  board  about  18 
inches  by  12,  to  which  the  other  parts  of  the  apparatus  are 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS. 


47 


to  be  attached,  and  which  is  to  be  secured  to  the  wall  at  the 
height  of  about  8  feet,  and  I  c  d  c  is  a 
plate  of  tin  or  brass,  8  inches  by  12,  of 
the  form  represented  in  the  drawing.  At 
c  c,  the  lower  extremities  of  the  parts  at 
the  sides,  the  metal  is  bent  round,  so  as  to 
clasp  a  wire  which  runs  from  c  to  c,  the 
ends  of  which  wire  are  bent  at  right  an- 
gles, and  run  into  the  board.  The  plate 
will  consequently  turn  on  this  axis  as  on 
a  hinge.  At  the  top  of  the  plate,  d,  a 
small  projection  of  the  tin  turns  inward, 
and  to  this  one  end  of  the  cord,  m  m,  is  at- 
tached. This  cord  passes  back  from  d  to 
a  small  pulley  at  the  upper  part  of  the 
board,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  it  a  tassel, 
loaded  so  as  to  be  an  exact  counterpoise 
to  the  card,  is  attached.  By  raising  the 
tassel,  the  plate  will  of  course  fall  over 
forward  till  it  is  stopped  by  the  part  b 
striking  the  board,  when  it  will  be  in  a 
horizontal  position.  On  the  other  hand, 
by  pulling  down  the  tassel,  the  plate  will 
be  raised  and  drawn  upward  against  the 
board,  so  as  to  present  its  convex  sui'face, 
with  the  words  STUDY  HOURS  upon  it,  dis- 
tinctly to  the  school.  In  the  drawing  it 
is  represented  in  an  inclined  position,  being  not  quite  drawn 
up,  that  the  parts  might  more  easily  be  seen.  At  d  there  is 
a  small  projection  of  the  tin  upward,  which  touches  the  clap- 
per of  the  bell  suspended  above  every  time  the  plate  passes 
up  or  down,  and  thus  gives  notice  of  its  motions. 

Of  course  the  construction  may  be  varied  very  much,  and 
it  maybe  more  or  less  expensive,  according  to  the  wishes  of 
the  teacher.  In  the  first  apparatus  of  this  kind  which  I 


48  THE   TEACHER. 

used,  the  plate  was  simply  a  card  of  pasteboard,  from  which 
the  machine  took  its  name.  This  was  cut  out  with  a  pen- 
knife, and,  after  being  covered  with  marble-paper,  a  strip  of 
white  paper  was  pasted  along'the  middle  Avith  the  inscription 
upon  it.  The  wire  c  c,  and  a  similar  one  at  the  top  of  the 
plate,  were  passed  through  a  perforation  in  the  pasteboard, 
and  then  passed  into  the  board.  Instead  of  a  pulley,  the 
cord,  which  was  a  piece  of  twine,  was  passed  through  a  lit- 
tle staple  made  of  wire  and  driven  into  the  board.  The 
whole  was  made  in  one  or  two  recesses  in  school,  with  such 
tools  and  materials  as  I  could  then  command.  The  bell  was 
a  common  table  bell,  with  a  wire  passing  through  the  han- 
dle. The  whole  was  attached  to  such  a  piece  of  pine  board 
as  I  could  get  on  the  occasion.  This  coarse  contrivance 
was,  for  more  than  a  year,  the  grand  regulator  of  all  the 
movements  of  the  school. 

I  afterward  caused  one  to  be  made  in  a  better  manner. 
The  plate  was  of  tin,  gilded,  the  border  and  the  letters  of  the 
inscription  being  black.  A  parlor  bell-rope  Avas  carried  over 
n  brass  pulley,  and  then  passed  downward  in  a  groove  made 
in  the  mahogany  board  to  which  the  card  was  attached. 

A  little  reflection  will,  however,  show  the  teacher  that  the 
form  and  construction  of  the  apparatus  for  marking  the  times 
of  study  and  of  rest  may  be  greatly  varied.  The  chief  point 
is  s;mply  to  secure  the  principle  of  whispering  at  definite  and 
limited  times,  and  at  those  alone.  If  such  an  arrangement 
is  adopted,  and  carried  faithfully  into  effect,  it  will  be  found 
to  relieve  the  teacher  of  more  than  half  of  the  confusion  and 
perplexity  which  would  otherwise  be  his  hourly  lot.  I  have 
detailed  thus  particularly  the  method  to  be  pursued  in  carry- 
ing this  principle  into  effect,  because  I  am  convinced  of  its 
importance,  and  the  incalculable  assistance  which  such  an 
arrangement  will  afford  to  the  teacher  in  all  his  plans.  Of 
course,  I  would  not  be  understood  to  recommend  its  adoption 
in  those  cases  where  teachers,  from  their  own  experience, 


GENERAL   AUUANGEMENTS.  49 

have  devised  and  adopted  other  plans  which  accomplish  as  ef- 
fectually the  same  purpose.  All  that  I  mean  is  to  insist  upon 
the  absolute  necessity  of  some  plan,  to  remove  this  very  com- 
mon source  of  interruption  and  confusion,  and  I  recommend 
this  mode  where  a  better  is  not  known. 

2.  The  second  of  the  sources  of  interruption,  as  I  have  enu- 
merated them,  is  the  distribution  of  pens  and  of  stationery. 
This  business  ought,  if  possible,  to  have  a  specific  time  as- 
signed to  it.  Scholars  are,  in  general,  far  too  particular  in 
regard  to  their  pens.  The  tcacher»ought  to  explain  to  them 
that,  in  the  transaction  of  the  ordinary  business  of  life,  they 
can  not  always  have  exactly  such  a  pen  as  they  would  like. 
They  must  learn  to  write  with  various  kinds  of  pens,  and 
when  furnished  with  one  that  the  teacher  himself  would  con- 
sider suitable  to  write  a  letter  to  a  friend  with,  he  must  be 
content.  They  should  understand  that  the  form  of  the  let- 
ters is  what  is  important  in  learning  to  write,  not  the  smooth- 
ness and  clearness  of  the  hair  lines ;  and  that  though  writing 
looks  better  when  executed  with  a  perfect  pen,  a  person  may 
learn  to  write  nearly  as  well  with  one  which  is  not  absolute- 
ly perfect.  So  certain  is  this,  though  often  overlooked,  that 
a  person  would  perhaps  learn  faster  with  chalk,  upon  a  black 
board,  than  with  the  best  goose-quill  ever  sharpened. 

I  do  not  make  these  remarks  to  show  that  it  is  of  no  con- 
sequence whether  scholars  have  good  or  bad  pens,  but  only 
that  this  subject  deserves  very  much  less  of  the  time  and  at- 
tention of  the  teacher  than  it  usually  receives.  "When  the 
scholars  are  allowed,  as  they  very  often  are,  to  come  when 
they  please  to  change  their  pens,  breaking  in  upon  any  busi- 
ness— interrupting  any  classes — perplexing  and  embarrassing 
the  teacher,  however  he  may  be  employed,  there  is  a  very 
serious  obstruction  to  the  progress  of  the  scholars,  which  is 
by  no  means  repaid  by  the  improvement  in  this  branch. 

To  guard  against  these  evils,  a  regular  and  well-considered 
system  should  be  adopted  for  the  distribution  of  pens  and  sta- 

C 


50  THE   TEACIIEK. 

tionery,  and  when  adopted  it  should  be  strictly  and  steadily 
adhered  to. 

3.  Answering  questions  about  studies.  A  teacher  who 
docs  not  adopt  some  system  in  regard  to  this  subject  will  be 
always  at  the  mercy  of  his  scholars.  One  boy  will  want  to 
knoAV  how  to  parse  a  word,  another  where  the  lesson  is,  an- 
other to  have  a  sum  explained,  and  a  fourth  will  wish  to 
show  his  work  to  see  if  it  is  right.  The  teacher  docs  not  like 
to  discourage  such  inquiries.  Each  one,  as  it  comes  up,  seems 
necessary ;  each  one,  toof  is  answered  in  a  moment ;  but  the 
endless  number  and  the  continual  repetition  of  them  consume 
his  time  and  exhaust  his  patience. 

There  is  another  view  of  the  subject  which  ought  to  be 
taken.  Perhaps  it  would  not  be  far  from  the  truth  to  esti- 
mate the  average  number  of  scholars  in  the  schools  in  our 
country  at  fifty.  At  any  rate,  this  will  be  near  enough  for 
our  present  purpose.  There  arc  three  hours  in  each  session, 
according  to  the  usual  arrangement,  making  one  hundred  and 
eighty  minutes,  which,  divided  among  fifty,  give  about  three 
minutes  and  a  half  to  each  individual.  If  the  reader  has,  in 
his  own  school,  a  greater  or  a  less  number,  he  can  easily  cor- 
rect the  above  calculation,  so  as  to  adapt  it  to  his  own  case, 
and  ascertain  the  portion  which  may  justly  be  appropriated 
to  each  pupil.  It  will  probably  vary  from  two  to  four  min- 
utes. Now  a  period  of  four  minutes  slips  away  very  fast 
while  a  man  is  looking  over  perplexing  figures  on  a  slate,  and 
if  he  exceeds  that  time  at  all  in  individual  attention  to  any 
one  scholar,  he  is  doing  injustice  to  his  other  pupils.  I  do 
not  mean  that  a  man  is  to  confine  himself  rigidly  to  the  prin- 
ciple suggested  by  this  calculation  of  cautiously  appropriat- 
ing no  more  time  to  any  one  of  his  pupils  than  such  a  calcu- 
lation would  assign  to  each,  but  simply  that  this  is  a  point 
which  should  be  kept  in  view,  and  should  have  a  very  strong 
influence  in  deciding  how  far  it  is  right  to  devote  attention 
exclusively  to  individuals.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  shows  very 


CEXEUAL   AKEANGESIEXTS.  .        51 

dearly  that  one  ought  to  teach  his  pupils,  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, in  masses,  and  as  little  as  possible  by  private  attention  to 
individual  cases. 

The  following  directions  will  help  the  teacher  to  carry 
these  principles  into  effect.  When  you  assign  a  lesson,  glance 
over  it  yourself,  and  consider  what  difficulties  are  likely  to 
arise.  You  know  the  progress  which  your  pupils  have  mode, 
and  can  easily  anticipate  their  difficulties.  Tell  them  all  to- 
gether, in  the  class,  what  their  difficulties  will  be,  and  how 
they  may  surmount  them.  Give  them  directions  how  they 
are  to  act  in  the  emergencies  which  will  be  likely  to  occur. 
This  simple  step  will  remove  a  vast  number  of  the  questions 
which  would  otherwise  become  occasions  for  interrupting  you. 
AVith  regard  to  other  difficulties,  which  can  not  be  foreseen 
and  guarded  against,  direct  the  pupils  to  bring  them  to  the 
class  at  the  next  recitation.  Haifa  dozen  of  the  class  might, 
and  very  probably  would,  meet  with  the  same  difficulty.  If- 
they  bring  this  difficulty  to  you  one  by  one,  you  have  to  ex- 
plain it  over  and  over  again,  whereas,  when  it  is  brought  to 
the  class,  one  explanation  answers  for  all. 

As  to  all  questions  about  the  lesson — where  it  is,  what  it 
is,  and  how  long  it  is — never  answer  them.  Kequire  each 
pupil  to  remember  for  himself,  and  if  he  was  absent  when  the 
lesson  was  assigned,  let  him  ask  his  class-mate  in  a  rest. 

You  may  refuse  to  give  particular  individuals  the  private 
assistance  they  ask  for  in  such  a  way  as  to  discourage  and 
irritate  them,  but  this  is  by  no  means  necessary.  It  can  be 
done  in  such,  a  manner  that  the  pupil  will  see  the  propriety 
of  it,  and  acquiesce  pleasantly  in  it.  _ 

A  child  comes  to  you,  for  example,  and  says, 

"  Will  you  tell  me,  sir,  where  the  next  lesson  is  Y* 

"  Were  you  not  in  the  class  at  the  time  ?" 

"Yes,  sir;  but  I  have  forgotten." 

"Well,  I  have  forgotten  too.  I  hare  a  great  many  classes 
to  hear,  and,  of  course,  a  great  many  lessons  to  assign,  and 


52        .  THE    TEACHEH. 

I  never  remember  them.     It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  re- 
member." 

"  May  I  speak  to  one  of  the  class  to  ask  about  it  ?" 

"  You  can  not  speak,  you  know,  till  the  Study  Card  is 
down ;  you  may  then." 

"  But  I  want  to  get  my  lesson  now." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  will  do,  then.  I  am  sorry  you 
don't  remember. 

"  Besides,"  continues  the  teacher,  looking  pleasantly,  how- 
ever, while  he  says  it,  "if  I  knew,  I  think  I  ought  not  to  tell 
you." 

"Why,  sir?" 

"  Because,  you  know,  I  have  said  I  wish  the  scholars  to 
remember  where  the  lessons  are,  and  not  come  to  me.  You 
know  it  would  be  very  unwise  for  me,  after  assigning  a  les- 
son once  for  all  in  the  class,  to  spend  my  time  here  at  my 
desk  in  assigning  it  over  again  to  each  individual  one  by  one. 
Now  if  I  should  tell  you  where  the  lesson  is  now,  I  should 
have  to  tell  other?,  and  thus  should  adopt  a  practice  which 
I  have  condemned." 

Take  another  case.  You  assign  to  a  class  of  little  girls  a 
subject  of  composition,  requesting  them  to  copy  their  writ- 
ing upon  a  sheet  of  paper,  leaving  a  margin  an  inch  wide 
at  the  top,  and  one  of  half  an  inch  at  the  sides  and  bottom. 
The  class  take  their  scats,  and,  after  a  short  time,  one  of 
them  comes  to  you,  saying  she  does  not  know  how  long  an 
inch  is. 

"Don't  you  know  any  thing  about  it?" 

"No,  sir,  not  much." 

"  Should  you  think  that  is  more  or  less  than  an  inch  ?" 
(pointing  to  a  space  on  a  piece  of  paper  much  too  large). 
•   "More." 

"  Then  you  know  something  about  it.  Now  I  did  not  tell 
you  to  make  the  margins  exactly  an  inch  and  half  an  inch, 
but  only  as  near  as  you  could  judge." 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  53 

"  Would  that  be  about  right  *?"  asks  the  girl,  showing  a 
distance. 

"  I  must  not  tell  you,  because,  you  know,  I  never  in  such 
cases  help  individuals;  if  that  is  as  near  as  you  can  get  it, 
you  may  make  it  So." 

It  may  be  well,  after  assigning  a  lesson  to  a  class,  to  say 
that  all  those  who  do  not  distinctly  understand  what  they 
have  to  do  may  remain  after  the  class  have  taken  their  seats, 
and  ask :  the  task  may  then  be  distinctly  assigned  again,  and 
the  difficulties,  so  far  as  they  can  be  foreseen,  explained. 

By  such  means  these  sources  of  interruption  and  difficulty 
may,  like  the  others,  be  almost  entirely  removed.  Perhaps 
not  altogether,  for  many  cases  may  occur  where  the  teacher 
may  choose  to  give  a  particular  class  permission  to  come  to 
him  for  help.  Such  permission,  however,  ought  never  to  be 
given  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  should  never  be 
allowed  to  be  taken  unless  it  is  distinctly  given. 

4.  Hearing  recitations.  I  am  aware  that  many  attempt 
to  do  something  else  at  the  same  time  that  they  are  hearing 
a  recitation,  and  there  may  perhaps  be  some  individuals  who 
can  succeed  in  this.  If  the  exercise  to  which  the  teacher  is 
attending  consists  merely  in  listening  to  the  reciting  word  for 
word  some  passage  committed  to  memory,  it  can  be  done.  I 
hope,  however,  to  show  in  a  future  chapter  that  there  are 
other  and  far  higher  objects  which  every  teacher  ought  to 
have  in  view  in  his  recitations,  and  he  who  understands  these 
objects,  and  aims  at  accomplishing  them — who  endeavors  to 
instruct  his  class,  to  enlarge  and  elevate  their  ideas,  to  awaken 
a  deep  and  paramount  interest  in  the  subject  which  they  arc 
examining,  wrill  find  that  his  time  must  be  his  own,  and  his 
attention  uninterrupted  while  he  is  presiding  at  a  class.  All 
the  other  exercises  and  arrangements  of  the  school  are,  in 
fact,  preparatory  and  subsidiary  to  this.  Here,  that  is,  in 
the  classes,  the  real  business  of  teaching  is  to  be  done.  Here 
the  teacher  comes  in  contact  with  his  scholars  mind  with 


54  THE   TEACHER. 

mind,  and  here,  consequently,  lie  must  be  uninterrupted  and 
undisturbed.  I  shall  speak  more  particularly  on  this  subject 
hereafter  under  the  head  of  instruction  ;  all  I  wish  to  secure 
in  this  place  is  that  the  teacher  should  make  such  arrange- 
ments that  he  can  devote  his  exclusive  attention  to  his  class- 
es while  he  is  actually  engaged  with  them. 

Each  recitation,  too,  should  have  its  specified  time,  which 
should  be  adhered  to  with  rigid  accuracy.  If  any  thing  like 
the  plan  I  have  suggested  for  allowing  rests  of  a  minute  or 
two  every  half  hour  should  be  adopted,  it  will  mark  off  the 
forenoon  into  parts  which  ought  to  be  precisely  and  carefully 
observed.  I  was  formerly  accustomed  to  think  that  I  could 
not  limit  the  time  for  my  recitations  without  great  incon- 
venience, and  occasionally  allowed  one  exercise  to  encroach 
upon  the  succeeding,  and  this  upon  the  next,  and  thus  some- 
times the  last  was  excluded  altogether.  But  such  a  lax  and 
irregular  method  of  procedure  is  ruinous  to  the  discipline  of 
a  school.  On  perceiving  it  at  last,  I  put  the  bell  into  the 
hands  of  a  pupil,  commissioning  her  to  ring  regularly,  hav- 
ing myself  fixed  the  times,  saying  that  I  wrould  show  my  pu- 
pils that  I  could  be  confined  myself  to  system  as  well  as  they. 
At  first  I  experienced  a  little  inconvenience ;  but  this  soon 
disappeared,  and  at  last  the  hours  and  half  hours  of  our  ar- 
tificial division  entirely  superseded,  in  the  school-room,  the 
divisions  of  the  clock  face.  I  found,  too,  that  it  exerted  an 
extremely  favorable  influence  upon  the  scholars  in  respect  to 
their  willingness  to  submit  readily  to  the  necessary  restric- 
tions imposed  upon  them  in  school,  to  show  them  that  the 
teacher  was  subject  to  law  as  well  as  they. 

But,  in  order  that  I  may  be  specific  and  definite,  I  will 
draw  up  a  plan  for  the  regular  division  of  time,  for  a  com- 
mon school,  not  to  be  adopted,  but  to  be  imitated;  that  is,  I 
do  not  recommend  exactly  this  plan,  but  that  some  plan,  pre- 
cise and  specific,  should  be  determined  upon,  and  exhibited  to 
the  school  by  a  diagram  like  the  following: 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENTS.  55 

FORENOON. 

ix.  x.  XL  xn. 


KEA1>1N(1. 

WUlTlMi. 

]'_ 

<:. 

AUIT1IMKTK'. 

AFTERNOON. 

n.  in.  iv.  v. 


GEOoa.vniY. 

AVKITINO. 

B. 

<i. 

URAMMAU. 

A  drawing  on  a  large  sheet,  made  by  some  of  the  older 
scholars  (for  a  teacher  should  never  do  any  thing  of  this  kind 
which  his  scholars  can  do  for  him),  should  be  made  and 
pasted  up  to  View,  the  names  of  the  classes  being  inserted  in 
the  columns  xindcr  their  respective  heads.  At  the  double 
lines  at  ten  and  three,  there  might  be  a  rest  of  two  minutes, 
an  officer  appointed  for  the  purpose  ringing  a  bell  at  each 
of  the  periods  marked  on  the  plan,  and  making  the  signal  for 
the  rest,  whatever  signal  might  be  determined  upon.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  have  the  bell  touched  five  minutes  before  each 
half  hour  expires,  and  then  exactly  at  its  close.  The  first 
bell  would  notify  the  teacher  or  teachers,  if  there  are  more 
than  one  in  the  school,  that  the  time  for  their  respective  rec- 
itations is  drawing  to  a  close.  At  the  second  bell  the  new 
classes  should  take  their  places  without  waiting  to  be  called 
for.  The  scholars  will  thus  see  that  the  arrangements  of  the 
school  are  based  upon  system,  to  which  the  teacher  himself 
conforms,  and  not  subjected  to  his  own  varying  will.  They 
Avill  thus  not  only  go  on  more  regularly,  but  they  will  them- 
selves yield  more  easily  and  pleasantly  to  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements. 

The  fact  is,  children  love  system  and  regularity.     Each 


5G  THE   TEACHER. 

one  is  sometimes  a  little  uneasy  under  the  restraint  which 
it  imposes  upon  him  individually,  but  they  all  love  to  see  its 
operation  upon  others,  and  they  are  generally  very  •willing 
to  submit  to  its  laws,  if  the  rest  of  the  community  are  re- 
quired to  submit  too.  They  show  this  in  their  love  of  mili- 
tary parade ;  what  allures  them  is  chiefly  the  order  of  it ; 
and  even  a  little  child  creeping  upon  the  floor  will  be  pleased 
when  he  gets  his  playthings  in  a  row.  A  teacher  may  turn 
this  principle  to  most  useful  account  in  forming  his  plans  for 
his  school,  in  observing  that  the  teacher  is  governed  by  them 
too  as  well  as  they. 

It  Avill  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  foregoing  plan  that  I 
have  marked  the  time  for  the  recesses  by  the  letter  11.  at  the 
top.  Immediately  after  them,  both  in  the  forenoon  and  in 
the  afternoon,  twenty  minutes  are  left,  marked  G-,  the  initial 
standing  for  general  exercise.  They  are  intended  to  denote 
periods  during  which  all  the  scholars  are  in  their  seats,  with 
their  work  laid  aside,  ready  to  attend  to  whatever  the  teach- 
er may  desire  to  bring  before  the  whole  school.  There  are 
so  many  occasions  on  which  it  is  necessary  to  address  the 
Avhole  school,  that  it  is  very  desirable  to  appropriate  a  par- 
ticular time  for  it.  In  most  of  the  best  schools  I  believe  this 
plan  is  adopted.  I  will  mention  sonic  of  the  subjects  which 
would  come  up  at  such  a  time. 

1.  There  are  some  studies  which  can  be  advantageously 
attended  to  by  the  whole  school  together,  such  as  Punctua- 
tion, and,  to  some  extent,  Spelling. 

2.  Cases  of  discipline  which  it  is  necessary  to  bring  be- 
fore the  whole  school  ought  to  come  up  at  a  regularly-ap- 
pointed time.     By  attending  to  them  here,  there  will  be  a 
greater  importance  attached  to  them.    Whatever  the  teacher 
does  will  seem  to  be  more  deliberate,  and,  in  fact,  icill  le 
more  deliberate. 

3.  General  remarks,  bringing  up  classes  of  faults  Avhich 
prevail ;  also  general  directions,  which  may  at  any  time  be 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS.  .57 

needed ;  and,  in  fact,  any  business  relatirtg  to  the  general  ar- 
rangements of  the  school. 

4.  Familiar  lectures  from  the  teacher  on  various  subjects. 
These  lectures,  though  necessarily  brief  and  quite  familiar  in 
their  form,  may  still  be  very  exact  and  thorough  in  respect 
to  the  knowledge  conveyed.  When  they  arc  upon  scientific 
subjects  they  may  sometimes  be  illustrated  by  experiments, 


more  or  less  imposing,  according  to  the  ingenuity  of  tho 
teacher,  the  capacity  of  the  older  scholars  to  assist  him  in  the 
preparations,  or  the  means  and  facilities  at  his  command.* 

*  In  some  of  the  larger  institutions  of  the  country  the  teacher  will 
have  convenient  apparatus  at  his  disposal,  and  a  room  specially  adapted 
to  the  purpose  of  experiments.  The  engraving  represents  a  room  at 
the  Spinglcr  Institute  at  New  York.  But  let  not  the  teacher  suppose 
that  these  special  facilities  are  essential  to  enable  him  to  give  instruction 
to  his  pupils  in  such  a  way.  I  have  known  a  much  larger  halloon  than 
the  one  represented  in  the  engraving  to  be  constructed  by  the  teacher 
and  pupils  of  a  common  country  school  from  directions  in  Rees's  Cyclo- 
pedia, and  sent  up  in  the  open  air.  The  aeronaut  that  accompanied  it 
v/as  a  hen — poor  thing  ! 

C  2 


58  THE    TEACHER. 

The  design  of  such"  lectures  should  bo  to  extend  the  general 
knowledge  of  the  pupils  in  regard  to  those  subjects  on  which 
they  will  need  information  in  their  progress  through  life.  In 
regard  to  each  of  these  particulars  I  shall  speak  more  partic- 
ularly hereafter,  in  the  chapters  to  which  they,  respectively 
belong.  My  only  object  here  is  to  show,  in  the  general  ar- 
rangements of  the  school,  how  a  place  is  to  be  found  for 
them.  My  practice  has  been  to  have  two  periods  of  short 
duration,  each  day,  appropriated  to  these  objects  :  the  first  to 
the  business  of  the  school,  and  the  second  to  such  studies  or  lec- 
tures as  could  be  most  profitably  attended  to  at  such  a  time. 

We  come  now  to  one  of  the  most  important  subjects  which 
present  themselves  to  the  teacher's  attention  in  settling  the 
principles  upon  which  he  shall  govern  his  school.  I  mean 
the  degree  of  influence  which  the  boys  themselves  shall  have 
in  the  management  of  its  affairs.  Shall  the  government  of 
school  be  a  monarchy  or  a  republic  f  To  this  question,  after 
much  inquiry  and  many  experiments,  I  answer,  a  monarchy ; 
an  absolute,  unlimited  monarchy ;  the  teacher  possessing  ex- 
clusive power  as  far  as  the  pupils  are  concerned,  though 
strictly  responsible  to  the  committee  or  to  the  trustees  under 
whom  he  holds  his  office. 

While,  however,  it  is  thus  distinctly  understood  that  the 
power  of  the  teacher  is  supreme,  that  all  the  power  rests  in 
him,  and  that  he  alone  is  responsible  for  its  exercise,  there 
ought  to  be  a  very  free 'and  continual  delegation  of  power  to 
the  pupils.  As  much  business  as  is  possible  should  be  com- 
mitted to  them.  They  should  be  interested  as  much  as  pos- 
sible in  the  affairs  of  the  school,  and  led  to  take  an  active 
part  in  carrying  them  forward ;  though  they  should,  all  the 
time,  distinctly  understand  that  it  is  only  delegated  power 
which  they  exercise,  and  that  the  teacher  can,  at  any  time, 
revoke  what  he  has  granted,  and  alter  or  annul  at  pleasure 
any  of  their  decisions.  By  this  plan  we  have  the  responsi- 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS.  59 

bility  resting  where  it  ought  to  rest,  and  yet  the  boys  arc 
trained  to  business,  and  led  to  take  an  active  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  school.  Trust  is  reposed  in  them,  which  may 
be  greater  or  less,  as  they  are  able  to  bear.  All  the  good  ef- 
fects of  reposing  trust  and  confidence,  arid  committing  the 
management  of  important  business  to  the  pupils  will  be  se- 
cured, without  the  dangers  which  would  result  from  the  en- 
tire surrender  of  the  management  of  the  institution  into  their 
hands. 

There  have  been,  in  several  cases,  experiments  made  with 
reference  to  ascertaining  how  far  a  government  strictly  re- 
publican would  be  admissible  in  a  school.  A  very  fair  ex- 
periment of  this  kind  was  made  some  years  since  at  the  Gar- 
diner Lyceum,  in  Maine.  At  the  time  of  its  establishment, 
nothing  was  said  of  the  mode  of  government  which  it  Avas  in- 
tended to  adopt.  For  some  time  the  attention  of  the  instruct- 
ors was  occupied  in  arranging  the  course  of  study,  and  at- 
tending to  the  other  concerns  of  the  institution  ;  and,  in  the 
infant  state  of  the  Lyceum,  few  cases  of  discipline  occurred, 
and  no  regular  system  of  government  was  necessary. 

Before  long,  however,  complaints  were  made  that  the  stu- 
dents at  the  Lyceum  were  guilty  of  breaking  windows  in  an 
old  building  used  as  a  town-house.  The  principal  called  the 
students  together,  mentioned  the  reports,  and  said  that  he  did 
not  know,  and  did  not  wish  to  know  who  were  the  guilty  in- 
dividuals. It  was  necessary,  however,  that  the  thing  should 
be  examined  into,  and  that  restitution  should  be  made,  and, 
relying  on  their  faithfulness  and  ability,  he  should  leave  them 
to  manage  the  business  alone.  For  this  purpose,  he  nominated 
one  of  the  students  as  judge,  some  others  as  jurymen,  and  ap- 
pointed the  other  officers  necessary  in  the  game  manner.  He 
told  them  that,  in  order  to  give  them  time  to  make  a  thor- 
ough investigation,  they  were  excused  from  farther  exercises 
during  the  day. 

The  principal  then  left  them,  and  they  entered  on   the 


00  THE   TEACIIEK. 

trial.  The  result  was  that  they  discovered  the  guilty  indi- 
viduals, ascertained  the  amount  of  mischief  done  by  each, 
and  sent  to  the  selectmen  a  message,  by  which  they  agreed 
to  pay  a,  sum  equal  to  three  times  the  value  of  the  injury  sus- 
tained. 

The  students  were  soon  after  informed  that  this  mode  of 
bringing  offenders  to  justice  would  hereafter  be  always  pur- 
sued, and  arrangements  were  made  for  organizing  a  regular 
republican  government  among  the  young  men.  By  this  gov- 
ernment all  laws  which  related  to  the  internal  police  of  the 
institution  were  to  be  made,  all  officers  were  appointed,  and 
all  criminal  cases  were  to  be  tried.  The  students  finding  the 
part  of  a  judge  too  difficult  for  them  to  sustain,  one  of  the 
professors  was  appointed  to  hold  that  office,  and,  for  similar 
reasons,  another  of  the  professors  was  made  president  of  the 
legislative  assembly.  The  principal  was  the  executive,  with 
power  to  pardon,  but  not  to  sentence,  or  even  accuse. 

'  Some  time  after  this  a  student  was  indicted  for  profane 
swearing ;  he  was  tried,  convicted,  and  punished.  After 
this  he  evinced  a  strong  hostility  to  the  government.  He 
made  great  exertions  to  bring  it  into  contempt,  and  when 
the  next  trial  came  on,  he  endeavored  to  persuade  the  wit- 
nesses that  giving  evidence  was  dishonorable,  and  he  so  far 
succeeded  that  the  defendant  was  acquitted  for  want  of  evi- 
dence, when  it  Avas  generally  understood  that  there  was  proof 
of  his  guilt,  which  would  have  been  satisfactory  if  it  could  have 
been  brought  forward.  For  some  time  after  this  the  pros- 
pect was  rather  unfavorable,  though  many  of  the  students 
themselves  opposed  with  great  earnestness  these  efforts,  and 
were  much  alarmed  lest  they  should  lose  their  free  govern- 
ment through  the  perverseness  of  one  of  their  number.  The 
attorney  general,  at  this  juncture,  conceived  the  idea  of  in-- 
dieting  the  individual  alluded  to  for  an  attempt  to  overturn 
the  government.  He  obtained  the  approbation  of  the  prin- 
cipal, and  the  grand  jury  found  a  bill.  The  court,  as  tho 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENTS.  Gl 

case  was  so  important,  invited  some  of  the  trustees,  who 
were  in  town,  to  attend  the  trial.  The  parent  of  the  defend- 
•  ant  was  also  informed  of  the  circumstances  and  requested  to 
be  present,  and  he  accordingly  attended.  The  prisoner  was 
tried,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced,  if  I  mistake  not,  to  expul- 
sion. At  his  earnest  request,  however,  to  be  permitted  to 
remain  in  the  Lyceum  and  redeem  his  character,  he  was  par- 
doned and  restored,  and  from  that  time  he  became  perfectly 
exemplary  in  his  conduct  and  character.  After  this  occur- 
rence the  system  went  on  in  successful  operation  for  some 
time. 

The  legislative  power  was  vested  in  the  hands  of  a  general 
committee,  consisting  of  eight  or  ten,  chosen  by  the  students 
from  their  own  number.  They  met  about  once  a  week  to 
transact  such  business  as  appointing  officers,  making  and  re- 
pealing regulations,  and  inquiring  into  the  state  of  the  Ly- 
ceum. The  instructors  had  a  negative  upon  all  their  pro- 
ceedings, but  no  direct  and  positive  power.  They  could  par- 
don, but  they  could  assign  no  punishments,  nor  make  laws 
inflicting  any. 

Now  such  a  plan  as  this  may  succeed  for  a  short  time,  and 
under  very  favorable  circumstances ;  and  the  circumstance 
which  it  is  chiefly  important  should  be  favorable  is,  that  the 
man  who  is  called  to  preside  over  such  an  association  should 
possess  such  talents  of  generalship  that  he  can  really  manage 
the  institution  himself,  while  the  power  is  nominally  and  ap- 
parently in  the  hands  of  the  boys.  Should  this  not  be  the 
case,  or  should  the  teacher,  from  any  cause,  lose  his  personal 
influence  in  the  school,  so  that  the  institution  should  really 
be  surrendered  into  the  hands  of  the  pupils,  things  must  be 
on  a  very  unstable  footing.  And,  accordingly,  where  such 
a  plan  has  been  adopted,  it  has,  I  believe,  in  every  instance, 
been  ultimately  abandoned. 

Real  self-government  is  an  experiment  sufficiently  hazard- 
ous among  men,  though  Providence,  in  making  a  daily  sup- 


G2  THE  TE.VCIIEI:. 

ply  of  food  necessary  for  every  human  being,  has  imposed  a 
most  powerful  check  upon  the  tendency  to  anarchy  and  con- 
fusion. Let  the  populace  of  Paris  or  of  London  materially 
interrupt  the  order  and  break  in  upon  the  arrangements 
of  the  community,  and  in  eight-and-forty  hours  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  mighty  mass  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the  dc- 
vourcr,  hunger,  and  they  will  be  soon  brought  to  submission. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  month's  anarchy  and  confusion  in  a  col- 
lege or  an  academy  would  be  delight  to  half  the  students,  or 
else  times  have  greatly  changed  since  I  was  within  college 
walls. 

Although  it  is  thus  evident  that  the  important  concerns 
of  a  literary  institution  can  not  be  safely  committed  into  the 
hands  of  the  students,  very  great  benefits  will  result  from 
calling  upon  them  to  act  upon  and  to  decide  questions  rela- 
tive to  the  school  within  such  limits  and  under  such  restric- 
tions as  are  safe  and  proper.  Such  a  practice  will  assist  the 
teacher  very  much  if  he  manages  it  with  any  degree  of  dex- 
terity; for  it  will  interest  his  pupils  in  the  success  of  the 
school,  and  secure,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  their  co- 
operation in  the  government  of  it.  It  will  teach  them  self- 
control  and  self-government,  and  will  accustom  them  to  sub- 
mit to  the  majority — that  lesson  which,  of  all  others,  it  is 
important  for  a-  republican  to  learn. 

In  endeavoring  to  interest  the  pupils  of  a  school  in  the 
work  of  co-operating  with  the  teacher  in  its  administration, 
no  little  dexterity  will  be  necessary  at  the  outset.  In  all 
probability,  the  formal  announcement  of  this  principle,  and 
the  endeavor  to  introduce  it  by  a  sudden  revolution,  Avould 
totally  fail.  Boys,  like  men,  must  be  gradually  prepared  for 
power,  and  they  must  exercise  it  only  so  far  as  they  arc  pre- 
pared. This,  however,  can  very  easily  be  done.  The  teach- 
er should  say  nothing  of  his  general  design,  but,  when  some 
suitable  opportunity  presents,  he  should  endeavor  to  lead  his 
pupils  to  co-operate  with  him  in  some  particular  instance. 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  G3 

For  example,  let  us  suppose  that  he  has  been  accustomed 
to  distribute  the  wri ting-books  with  his  own  hand  when  the 
writing-hour  arrives,  and  that  he  concludes  to  delegate  this 
simple  business  first  to  his  scholars.  He  accordingly  states 
to  them,  just  before  the  writing  exercise  of  the  day  on  which 
he  proposes  the  experiment,  as  follows : 

"I  have  thought  that  time  will  be  saved  if  you  will  help 
me  distribute  the  books,  and  I  will  accordingly  appoint  four 
distributors,  one  for  each  division  of  the  seats,  who  may  come 
to  me  and  receive  the  books,  and  distribute  them  each  to  his 
own  division.  Are  you  willing  to  adopt  this  plan  ?" 

The  boys  answer  "Yes,  sir,"  and  the  teacher  then  looks 
carefully  around  the  room,  and  selects  four  pleasant  and  pop- 
ular boys — boys  who  he  knows  would  gladly  assist  him,  and 
who  would,  at  the  same  time,  be  agreeable  to  their  school- 
mates. This  latter  point  is  necessary  in  order  to  secure  the 
popularity  and  success  of  the  plan.  * 

Unless  the  boys  are  very  different  from  any  I  have  ever 
met  with,  they  will  be  pleased  with  the  duty  thus  assigned 
them.  They  will  learn  system  and  regularity  by  being  t:>uglit 
to  perform  this  simple  duty  in  a  proper  manner.  After  a 
week,  the  teacher  may  consider  their  term  of  service  as  hav- 
ing expired,  and  thanking  them  in  public  for  the  assistance 
they  have  rendered  him,  he  may  ask  the  scholars  if  they  arc 
willing  to  continue  the  plan,  and  if  the  vote  is  in  favor  of  it, 
as  it  unquestionably  would  be,  each  boy  probably  hoping  that 
he  should  be  appointed  to  the  office,  the  teacher  may  nomi- 
nate four  others,  including,  perhaps,  upon  the  list,  some  boy 
popular  among  his  companions,  but  whom  he  has  suspected 
to  be  not  very  friendly  to  himself  or  the  school.  I  think  the 
most  scrupulous  statesman  would  not  object  to  securing  in- 
fluence by  conferring  office  in  such  a  case.  If  difficulties  arise 
from  the  operation  of  such  a  measure,  the  plan  can  easily  be 
modified  to  avoid  or  correct  them.  If  it  is  successful,  it  may 
be  continued,  and  the  principle  may  be  extended,  so  as  in  the 


C4  THE   TEACHER. 

end  to  affect  very  considerably  all  tlio  arrangements  and  the 
whole  management  of  the  school. 

Or,  let  us  imagine  the  following  scene  to  have  been  the 
commencement  of  the  introduction  of  the  principle  of  limited 
self-government  into  a  school. 

The  preceptor  of  an  academy  was  sitting  at  his  desk,  at  the 
close  of  school,  while  the  pupils  were  putting  up  their  books 
and  leaving  the  room.  A  boy  came  in  with  angry  looks,  and, 
with  his  hat  in  his  hands  bruised  and  dusty,  advanced  to  the 
master's  desk,  and  complained  that  one  of  his  companions 
had  thrown  down  his  hat  upon  the  floor,  and  had  almost 
spoiled  it. 

The  teacher  looked  calmly  at  the  mischief,  and  then  asked 
how  it  happened. 

"I  don't  know,  sir.  I  hung  it  on  my  nail,  and  he  pulled 
it  down." 

"  I  wish  you  would  ask  him  to  come  here,"  said  the  teach- 
er. "  Ask  him  pleasantly." 

The  accused  soon  came  in,  and  the  two  boys  stood  togeth- 
er before  the  master. 

"  There  seems  to  be  some  difficulty  between  you  boys  about 
a  nail  to  hang  your  hats  upon.  I  suppose  each  of  you  think 
it  is  your  own  nail." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  both  the  boys. 

"  It  will  be  more  convenient  for  me  to  talk  with  you  about 
this  to-morrow  than  to-night,  if  you  arc  willing  to  wait.  Be- 
sides, we  can  examine  it  more  calmly  then.  But  if  we  put 
it  off  till  then,  you  must  not  talk  about  it  in  the  mean  time, 
blaming  one  another,  and  keeping  up  the  irritation  that  you 
feel.  Are  you  both  willing  to  leave  it  just  where  it  is  till  to- 
morrow, and  try  to  forget  all  about  it  till  then  ?  I  expect  I 
shall  find  you  both  a  little  to  blame." 

The  boys  rather  reluctantly  consented.  The  next  day  the 
master  heard  the  case,  and  settled  it  so  far  as  it  related  to 
the  two  boys.  It  was  easily  settled  in  the  morning,  for  they 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  G5 

had  had  time  to  get  calm,  and  Avere,  after  sleeping  away  their 
anger,  rather  ashamed  of  the  whole  affair,  and  very  desirous 
to  have  it  forgotten. 

That  day,  when  the  hour  for  the  transaction  of  general 
business  came,  the  teacher  stated  to  the  school  that  it  was 
necessary  to  take  some  measures  to  provide  each  boy  with  a 
nail  for  his  hat.  In  order  to  show  that  it  was  necessary,  he 
related  the  circumstances  of  the  quarrel  which  had  occurred 
the  day  before.  He  did  this,  not  with  such  an  air  and  man- 
ner as  to  convey  the  impression  that  his  object  was  to  find 
fault  with  the  boys,  or  to  expose  their  misconduct,  but  to  show 
the  necessity  of  doing  something  to  remedy  the  evil  which 
had  been  the  cause  of  so  unpleasant  an  occurrence.  Still, 
though  he  said  nothing  in  the  way  of  reproof  or  reprehen- 
sion, and  did  not  name  the  boys,  but  merely  gave  a  cool  and 
impartial  narrative  of  the  facts,  the  effect,  very  evidently,  was 
to  bring  such  quarrels  into  discredit.  A  calm  review  of  mis- 
conduct, after  the  excitement  has  gone  by,  will  do  more  to 
bring  it  into  disgrace  than  the  most  violent  invectives  and 
reproaches  directed  against  the  individuals  guilty  of  it  at  the 
time. 

"Now,  boys,"  continued  the  master,  "  will  you  assist  me 
in  making  arrangements  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  all 
temptations  of  this  kind  hereafter  ?  It  is  plain  that  every 
boy  ought  to  have  a  nail  appropriated  expressly  to  his  use. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  ascertain  whether  there  are 
enough  for  all.  I  should  like,  therefore,  to  have  two  com- 
mittees appointed :  one  to  count  and  report  the  number  of 
nails  in  the  entry,  and  also  how  much  room  there  is  for  more  ; 
the  other  to  ascertain  the  number  of  scholars  in  school.  They 
can  count  all  Avho  are  here,  and,  by  observing  the  vacant 
desks,  they  can  ascertain  the  number  absent.  When  this  in- 
vestigation is  made,  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do  next." 

The  boys  seemed  pleased  with  the  plan,  and  the  commit- 
tees were  appointed,  two  members  on  each.  The  master 


G6  THE    TEACHER. 

took  care  to  give  the  quarrelcrs  some  share  in  the  work,  ap- 
parently forgetting,  from  this  time,  the  unpleasant  occurrence 
which  had  brought  up  the  subject. 

When  the  boys  qame  to  inform  him  of  the  result  of  their 
inquiries,  he  asked  them  to  make  a  little  memorandum  of  it 
in  writing,  as  he  might  forget  the  numbers,  he  said,  before 
the  time  came  for  reading  them.  The  boys  brought  him, 
presently,  a  rough  scrap  of  paper,  with  the  figures  marked 
upon  it.  He  told  them  he  should  forget  which  was  the  num- 
ber of  nails,  and  which  the  number  of  scholars,  unless  they 
wrote  it  down. 

"  It  is  the  custom  among  men,"  said  he,  "  to  make  out 
their  report,  in  such  a  case,  fully,  so  that  it  would  explain 
itself;  and  I  should  like  to  have  you,  if  you  are  willing, 
make  out  yours  a  little  more  distinctly." 

Accordingly,  after  a  little  additional  explanation,  the  boys 
made  another  attempt,  and  presently  returned  with  something 
like  the  following : 

"The  committee  for  counting  the  nails  report  as  follows: 

Number  of  nails 35 

Room  for  more 15."  • 

The  other  report  was  very  similar,  though  somewhat  rude- 
ly written  and  expressed,  and  both  were  perfectly  satisfactory 
to  the  preceptor,  as  he  plainly  showed  by  the  manner  in  which 
he  received  them. 

I  need  not  finish  the  description  of  this  case  by  narrating 
particularly  the  reading  of  the  reports,  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  to  assign  the  nails,  and  to  paste  up  the  names  of 
the  scholars,  one  to  each.  The  work,  in  such  a  case,  might 
be  done  in  recesses,  and  out  of  school  hours ;  and  though,  at 
first,  the  teacher  will  find  that  it  is  as  much  trouble  to  ac- 
complish business  in  this  way  as  it  would  be  to  attend  to  it 
directly  himself,  yet,  after  a  very  little  experience,  he  will 
find  that  his  pupils  will  acquire  dexterity  and  readiness,  and 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  G7 

will  be  able  to  render  him  very  material  assistance  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  his  plans. 

This,  however — the  assistance  rendered  to  the  teacher — is 
not  the  main  object  of  the  adoption  of  such  measures  as  this. 
The  main  design  is  to  interest  the  pupils  in  the  management 
and  the  welfare  of  the  school — to  identify  them,  as  it  were, 
with  it.  And  such  measures  as  the  above  Avill  accomplish 
this  object ;  and  every  teacher  who  will  try  the  experiment, 
and  carry  it  into  effect  with  any  tolerable  degree  of  skill,  will 
find  that  it  will,  in  a  short  time,  change  the  whole  aspect  of 
the  school  in  regard  to  the  feelings  subsisting  between  him- 
self and  his  pupils. 

Each  teacher  who  tries  such  an  experiment  will  find  him- 
self insensibly  repeating  it,  and  after  a  time  he  may  have  quite 
a  number  of  officers  and  committees  who  are  intrusted  with 
various  departments  of  business.  lie  will  have  a  secretary, 
chosen  by  ballot  by  the  scholars,  to  keep  a  record  of  all  the 
important  transactions  in  the  school  for  each  day.  At  first 
he  will  dictate  to  the  secretary,  thus  directing  him  precisely 
what  to  say,  or  even  writing  it  for  him,  and  then  merely  re- 
quiring him  to  copy  it  into  the  book  provided  for  the  pur- 
pose. Afterward  he  will  give  the  pupil  less  and  less  assist- 
ance, till  he  can  keep  the  record  properly  himself.  The  rec- 
ord of  each  day  will  be  read  on  the  succeeding  day  at  the 
hour  for  business.  The  teacher  will  perhaps  have  a  com- 
mittee to  take  care  of  the  fire,  and  another  to  see  that  the 
room  is  constantly  in  good  order.  lie  Avill  have  distributors 
for  each  division  of  seats,  to  distribute  books,  and  composi- 
tions, and  pens,  and  to  collect  votes.  And  thus,  in  a  short 
time,  his  school  v,rill  become  regularly  organized  as  a  society  or 
legislative  assembly.  The  boys  will  learn  submission  to  the 
majority  in  such  unimportant  things  as  may  be  committed 
to  them;  they  will  learn  system  and  regularity,  and  every 
thing  else,  indeed,  that  belongs  to  the  science  of  political  self- 
government. 


G8  THE   TEACHER. 

There  arc  dangers,  however.  What  useful  practice  lias  not 
its  dangers'?  One  of  these  is,  that  the  teacher  will  allow 
these  arrangements  to  take  up  too  much  time.  lie  must 
guard  against  this.  I  have  found  from  experience  that  fif- 
teen minutes  each  day,  with  a  school  of  135,  is  enough. 
This  ought  never  to  be  exceeded. 

Another  danger  is,  that  the  boys  will  be  so  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  their  offices  as  to  neglect  their  studies.  This  would 
be,  and  ought  to  be,  fatal  to  the  whole  plan.  This  danger 
may  be  avoided  in  the  following  manner.  State  publicly  that 
you  will  not  appoint  any  to  office  who  are  not  good  schol- 
ars, always  punctual,  and  always  prepared ;  and  when  any 
boy  who  holds  an  office  is  going  behindhand  in  his  studies, 
say  to  him  kindly,  "  You  have  not  time  to  get  your  lessons, 
and  I  am  afraid  it  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  you  spend  so  much 
time  in  helping  me.  Now  if  you  wish  to  resign  your  office, 
so  as  to  have  more  time  for  your  lessons,  you  can.  In  fact, 
I  think  you  ought  to  do  it.  You  may  try  it  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  I  will  notice  how  you  recite,  and  then  we  can  decide." 

Such  a  communication  will  generally  bo  found  to  have  a 
powerful  effect.  If  it  does  not  remedy  the  evil,  the  resigna- 
tion must  be  insisted  on.  A  few  decided  cases  of  this  kind 
will  effectually  remove  the  evil  I  am  considering. 

Another  difficulty  Avhich  is  likely  to  attend  the  plan  of  al- 
lowing the  pupils  of  a  school  to  take  some  part  in  this  way 
in  the  administration  of  it  is  that  it  may  tend  to  make  them 
insubordinate,  so  that  they  will,  in  many  instances,  submit 
with  less  good  humor  to  such  decisions  as  you  may  consider 
necessary.  I  do  not  mean  that  this  will  be  the  case  with 
all,  but  that  there  will  be  a  few  who  will  be  ungenerous 
enough,  if  you  allow  them  to  decide  sometimes  what  shall, 
be  done,  to  endeavor  to  make  trouble,  or  at  least  to  show 
symptoms  of  impatience  and  vexation  because  you  do  not 
allow  them  always  to  decide. 


GENEKAL  ARRANGEMENTS.  69 

Sometimes  this  feeling  may  show  itself  by  the  discontent- 
ed looks,  or  gestures,  or  even  words  with  which  some  unwel- 
come regulation  or  order  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  will  be 
received.  Such  a  spirit  should  be  immediately  and  decided- 
ly checked  whenever  it  appears.  It  will  not  be  difficult  to 
check,  and  even  entirely  to  remove  it.  On  one  occasion 
when,  after  learning  the  wish  of  the  scholars  on  some  sub- 
ject which  had  been  brought  before  them,  I  decided  contrary 
to  it,  there  arose  a  murmur  of  discontent  all  over  the  room. 
This  was  the  more  distinct,  because  I  have  always  accustom- 
ed my  pupils  to  answer  questions  asked,  and  to  express  their 
wishes  and  feelings  on  any  subject  I  may  present  to  them 
with  great  freedom. 

I  asked  all  those  who  had  expressed  their  dissatisfaction 
to  rise. 

About  one  third  of  the  scholars  arose. 

"  Perhaps  you  understood  that  when  I  put  the  question  lo 
vote  I  meant  to  abide  by  your  decision,  and  that,  consequent- 
ly, I  ought  not  to  have  reversed  it,  as  I  did  afterward  ?"- 

"  Yes,  sir,"  "  Yes,  sir,"  they  replied. 

"  Do  you  suppose  it  would  be  safe  to  leave  the  decision  of 
important  questions  to  the  scholars  in  this  school?" 

"Yes,  sir;"  "No,  sir."  The  majority  were,  however,  in 
the  affirmative. 

Thus  far,  only  those  who  were  standing  had  answered.  I 
told  them  that,  as  they  were  divided  in  opinion,  they  might 
sit,  and  I  would  put  the  question  to  the  whole  school. 

"You  know,"  I  continued,  addressing  the  whole,  "what 
sort  of  persons  the  girls  who  compose  this  school  are.  You 
know  about  how  many  are  governed  habitually  by  steady 
principle,  and  how  many  by  impulse  and  feeling.  You  know, 
too,  what  proportion  have  judgment  and  foresight  necessary 
to  consider  and  decide  independently  such  questions  as  con- 
tinually arise  in  the  management  of  a  school.  Now  suppose 
1  should  resign  the  school  into  your  own  hands  as  to  its 


70  THE   TEACI1EK. 

management,  and  only  come  in  to  give  instruction  to  the 
classes,  leaving  all  general  control  of  its  arrangements  with 
you,  would  it  go  on  safely  or  not?" 

As  might  have  been  foreseen,  there  was,  when  the  ques- 
tion was  fairly  proposed,  scarcely  a  solitary  vote  in  favor  of 
government  by  scholars.  They  seemed  to  sec  clearly  the  ab- 
surdity of  such  a  scheme. 

"  Besides,"  I  continued,  "  the  trustees  of  this  school  have 
committed  it  to  my  charge ;  they  hold  me  responsible ;  the 
public  hold  me  responsible,  not  you.  Now  if  I  should  sur- 
render it  into  your  hands,  and  you,  from  any  cause,  should 
manage  the  trust  unfaithfully  or  unskillfully,  I  should  neces- 
sarily be  held  accountable.  I  could  never  shift  the  responsi- 
bility upon  you.  Now  it  plainly  is  not  just  or  right  that  one 
party  should  hold  the  power,  and  another  be  held  accounta- 
ble for  its  exercise.  It  is  clear,  therefore,  in  every  view  of 
the  subject,  that  I  should  retain  the  management  of  this  school 
in  my  own  hands.  Are  you  not  satisfied  that  it  is?" 

The  scholars  universally  answered  "  Yes,  sir."  They  seem- 
ed satisfied,  and  doubtless  were. 

It  was  then  stated  to  them  that  the  object  in  asking  them 
to  vote  was,  in  some  cases,  to  obtain  an  expression  of  their 
opinion  or  their  wishes  in  order  to  help  me  decide,  and  only 
in  those  cases  where  it  was  expressly  stated  did  I  mean  to 
give  the  final  decision  to  them. 

Still,  however,  if  cases  are  often  referred  to  them,  the  feel- 
ing will  gradually  creep  in  that  the  school  is  managed  on  re- 
publican principles,  as  they  call  it,  and  they  will,  unless 
this  point  is  specially  guarded,  gradually  lose  that  spirit  of 
entire  and  cordial  subordination  so  necessary  for  the  success 
of  any  school.  It  should  often  be  distinctly  explained  to 
them  that  a  republican  government  is  one  where  the  power 
essentially  resides  in  the  community,  and  is  exercised  by  a 
ruler  only  so  far  as  the  community  delegates  it  to  him, 
whereas  in  the  school  the  government  is  based  on  the  prin- 


GENERAL   ARRANGEMENTS.  71 

O'iplc  that  the  power,  primarily  and  essentially,  resides  in  the 
teacher,  the  scholars  exercising  only  such  as  he  may  delegate 
to  than.  , 

With  these  limitations  ajid  restrictions,  and  with  this  ex- 
press understanding  in  regard  to  what  is,  in  all  cases,  the  ul- 
timate authority,  I  think  there  will  be  no  danger  in  throw- 
ing a  very  large  share  of  the  business  Avhich  will,  from  time 
to  time,  come  up  in  the  school,  upon  the  scholars  themselves 
for  decision.  In  my  own  experience  this  plan  has  been  adopt- 
ed with  the  happiest  results.  In  the  Mount  Vcrnon  School  a 
small  red  morocco  wrapper  lies  constantly  on  a  little  shelf, 
accessible  to  all.  By  its  side  is  a  little  pile  of  papers,  about 
one  inch  by  six,  on  which  any  one  may  write  her  motion,  or 
her  proposition,  as  the  scholars  call  it,  whatever  it  may  be, 
and  when  written  it  is  inclosed  in  the  wrapper,  to  be  brought 
to  me  at  the  appointed  time  for  attending  to  the  general  busi- 
ness of  the  school.  Through  this  wrapper  all  questions  are 
asked,  all  complaints  entered,  all  proposals  made.  Is  there 
discontent  in  the  school  1  It  shows  itself  by  " propositiona" 
in  the  wrapper.  Is  any  body  aggrieved  or  injured  ?  I  learn 
it  through  the  wrapper.  In  fact,  it  is  a  little  safety-valve, 
which  lets  off  what,  if  confined,  might  threaten  explosion — 
an  index — a  thermometer,  which  reveals  to  me,  from  day  to 
day,  more  of  the  state  of  public  opinion  in  the  little  commu- 
nity than  any  thing  beside. 

These  propositions  arc  generally  read  aloud.  Some  cases 
arc  referred  to  the  scholars  for  decision ;  some  I  decide  my- 
self; others  are  laid  aside  without  notice  of  any  kind ;  oth- 
ers still,  anerely  suggest  remarks  on  the  subjects  to  which 
they  allude. 

The  principles,  then,  which  this  chapter  has  been  intended 
to  establish,  are  simply  these :  in  making  your  general  ar- 
rangements, look  carefully  over  your  ground,  consider  all  the 
objects  which  you  have  to  accomplish,  and  the  proper  degree 
of  time  and  attention  which  each  deserves.  Then  act  upon 


72  THIi   TEACIIliK. 

system.  Let  the  mass  of  particulars  which  would  otherwise 
crowd  upon  you  in  promiscuous  confusion  be  arranged  and 
classified.  Let  each  be  assigned  to  its  proper  time  and  place, 
so  that  your  timo  may  be  your  own,  under  your  own  com- 
mand, and  not,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  at  the  mercy  of  the 
thousand  accidental  circumstances  which  may  occur. 

In  a  word,  be,  in  the  government  of  your  school,  youreclf 
supreme,  and  let  your  supremacy  be  that  of  authority ;  but 
delegate  power,  as  freely  as  possible,  to  those  under  your 
care.  Show  them  that  you  are  desirous  of  reposing  trust  in 
them  just  so  far  as  they  show  themselves  capable  of  exercis- 
ing it.  Thus  interest  them  in  your  plans,  and  make  them 
feel  that  they  participate  in  the  honor  or  the  disgrace  of  suc- 
cess or  failure. 

I  have  gone  much  into  detail  in  this  chapter,  proposing 
definite  measures  by  whJ^h  the  principles  I  have  recommend- 
ed may  be  carried  into  effect.  I  wish,  however,  that  it  may 
be  distinctly  understood  that  all  I  contend  for  is  the  prinri- 
2>lcs  themselves,  no  matter  what  the  particular  measures  are 
by  which  they  are  secured.  Every  good  school  must  be  sys- 
tematic, but  all  need  not  be  on  precisely  the  same  system. 
As  this  work  is  intended  almost  exclusively  for  beginners, 
much  detail  has  been  admitted,  and  many  of  the  specific 
measures  here  proposed  may  perhaps  be  safely  adopted  where 
no  others  arc  established.  There  may  also,  perhaps,  be  cases 
where  teachers,  whose  schools  are  already  in  successful  oper- 
ation, may  ingraft  upon  their  own  plans  some  things  which 
are  here  proposed.  If  they  should  attempt  it,  it  must  be 
done  cautiously  and  gradually.  There  is  no  other  way  by 
which  they  can  be  safely  introduced,  or  even  introduced  at 
all.  This  is  a  point  of  so  much  importance,  that  I  must  de- 
vote a  paragraph  to  it  before  closing  the  chapter. 

Let  a  teacher  propose  to  his  pupils,  formally,  from  his 
desk,  the  plan  of  writing  propositions,  for  example,  as  ox- 
plained  above,  and  procure  his  wrapper,  and  put  it  in  its 


GENERAL,   ARRANGEMENTS.  73 

place,  and  what  would  be  the  result  ?  Why,  not  a  single  pa- 
per, probably,  could  he  get,  from  one  end  of  the  week  to  the 
other.  But  let  him,  on  the  other  hand,  when  a  boy  comes 
to  him  to  ask  some  question,  the  answer  to  which  many  in 
the  school  would  equally  wish  to  hear,  say  to  the  inquirer, 

"  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  write  that  question,  and  put 
it  on  my  desk,  and  then,  at  the  regular  time,  I  will  answer 
it  to  all  the  school." 

When  he  reads  it,  let  him  state  that  it  was  written  at  his 
request,  and  give  the  other  boys  permission  to  leave  their 
proposals  or  questions  on  his  desk  in  the  same  way.  In  a 
fbw  days  he  will  have  another,  and  thus  the  plan  may  be 
gently  and  gradually  introduced. 

So  with  officers.  They  should  be  appointed  among  tho 
scholars  only  as  fast  as  they  are  actually  needed,  and  the  plan 
thould  thus  be  cautiously  carried  only  so  far  as  it  proves  good 
on  trial.  Be  always  cautious  about  innovations  and  changes. 
Make  no  rash  experiments  on  a  large  scale,  but  always  test 
your  principle  in  the  small  way,  and  then,  if  it  proves  good, 
gradually  extend  its  operation  as  circumstances  seem  to  re- 
quire. 

By  thus  cautiously  and  slowly  introducing  plans,  founded 
on  the  systematic  principles  here  brought  to  view,  a  very  con- 
siderable degree  of  quiet,  and  order,  and  regularity  may  be 
introduced  into  the  largest  and  most  miscellaneous  schools. 
And  this  order  and  quiet  are  absolutely  necessary  to  enable 
the  teacher  to  find  that  interest  and  enjoyment  in  his  work 
which  were  exhibited  in  the  last  chapter ;  the  pleasure  of  di- 
recting and  controlling  mind,  and  doing  it,  not  by  useless  and 
anxious  complaints,  or  stern  threats  and  painful  punishments, 
but  by  regarding  the  scene  of  labor  in  its  true  light,  as  a  com- 
munity of  intellectual  and  moral  beings,  and  governing  it  by 
moral  and  intellectual  power.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  pleasure  of 
exercising  power.  I  do  not  mean  arbitrary,  personal  author- 
ity, but  the  power  to  produce,  by  successful  but  quiet  con- 

D 


74  THE   TEACHER. 

trivancc,  extensive  and  happy  results;  the  pleasure  of  calm- 
ly considering  every  difficulty,  and,  without  irritation  or  an- 
ger, devising  the  proper  moral  means  to  remedy  the  moral 
evil;  and  then  the  interest  and  pleasure  of  witnessing  its 
effects. 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
Lot  Ang  ite$,  Cal. 


INSTRUCTION. 


75 


CHAPTER  III. 

INSTRUCTION. 

E  come  now  to  consider  the 
subject  of  Instruction. 

There  are  three  kinds  of 
human    knowledge    which 
stand     strikingly     distinct 
from  all  the  rest.    They  lie 
at   the    foundation.     They 
<;"  constitute  the  roots  of  the 
tree.     In  other  words,  they 
".  are  the  means  by  which  all 
•-T-  other  knowledge  is  attain- 
ed.    I  need  not  say  that  I 
T;  mean  Reading,  Writing,  and  Calculation. 

Teachers  do  not  perhaps  always  consider 
entirely  and  essentially  distinct  these  three 
branches  of  learning  are  from  all  the  rest.  They 
••'  u  are  arts ;  the  acquisition  of  them  is  not  to  be  con- 
sidered as  knowledge,  so  much  as  the  means  by  which  knowl- 
edge may  be  obtained.  A  child  who  is  studying  Geography, 
or  History,  or  Natural  Science,  is  learning  facts — gaining  in- 
formation ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  one  who  is  learning  to 
write,  or  to  read,  or  to  calculate,  may  be  adding  little  or  noth- 
ing to  his  stock  of  knowledge.  He  is  acquiring  skill,  which, 
at  some  future  time,  he  may  make  the  means  of  increasing 
his  knowledge  to  any  extent. 

This  distinction  ought  to  be  kept  constantly  in  view,  and 
the  teacher  should  feel  that  these  three  fundamental  branches 
stand  by  themselves,  and  stand  first  in  importance.  I  do  not 


70  THE   TEACHEE. 

mean  to  undervalue  the  others,  but  only  to  insist  upon  the 
superior  value  and  importance  of  these.  Teaching  a  pupil 
to  read  before  he  enters  upon  the  active  business  of  life  is  like 
giving  a  new  settler  an  axe  as  he  goes  to  seek  his  new  home 
in  the  forest.  Teaching  him  a  lesson  in  history  is,  on  the 
other  hand,  only  cutting  down  a  tree  or  two  for  him.  A 
knowledge  of  natural  history  is  like  a  few  bushels  of  grain 
gratuitously  placed  in  his  barn  ;  but  the  art  of  ready  reckon- 
ing is  the  plow  which  will  remain  by  him  for  years,  and  help 
him  to  draw  out  from  the  soil  a  new  treasure  every  year  of 
his  life. 

The  great  object,  then,  of  the  common  schools  in  our  coun- 
try is  to  teach  the  whole  population  to  read,  to  write,  and  to 
calculate.  In  fact,  so  essential  is  it  that  the  accomplishment 
of  these  objects  should  be  secured,  that  it  is  even  a  question 
whether  common  schools  should  not  be  confined  to  them.  I 
say  it  is  a  question,  for  it  is  sometimes  made  so,  though  public 
opinion  has  decided  that  some  portion  of  attention,  at  least, 
should  be  paid  to  the  acquisition  of  additional  knowledge. 
But,  after  all,  the  amount  of  knowledge  which  is  actually  ac- 
quired at  schools  is  very  small.  It  must  be  very  small.  The 
true  policy  is  to  aim  at  making  all  the  pupils  good  readers, 
writers,  and  calculators,  and  to  consider  the  other  studies  of 
the  school  important  chiefly  as  practice  in  turning  these  arts 
to  useful  account.  In  other  words,  the-  scholars  should  bo 
taught  these  arts  thoroughly  first  of  all,  and  in  the  other 
studies  the  main  design  should  be  to  show  them  how  to  use, 
and  interest  them  in  using,  the  arts  they  have  thus  acquired. 

A  great  many  teachers  feel  a  much  stronger  interest  in  the 
one  or  two  scholars  they  may  have  in  Surveying  or  in  Latin 
than  they  do  in  the  large  classes  in  the  elementary  branches 
which  fill  the  school.  But  a  moment's  reflection  will  show 
that  such  a  preference  is  founded  on  a  very  mistaken  view. 
Leading  forward  one  or  two  minds  from  step  to  step  in  nn 
advanced  study  is  certainly  far  inferior  in  real  dignity  and 


INSTRUCTION.  77 

importance  to  opening  all  the  stores  of  written  knowledge  to 
fifty  or  a  hundred.  The  man  who  neglects  the  interests  of 
his  school  in  these  great  branches  to  devote  his  time  to  two 
or  three,  or  half  a  dozen  older  scholars,  is  unjust  both  to  his 
employers  and  to  himself. 

It  is  the  duty,  therefore,  of  every  teacher  who  commences 
a  common  district  school  for  a  single  season  to  make,  when 
he  commences,  an  estimate  of  the  state  of  his  pupils  in  refer- 
ence to  these  three  branches.  How  do  they  all  write?  How 
do  they  all  read?  How  do  they  calculate?  It  would  be 
well  if  he  would  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  school  in 
this  respect.  Let  them  all  write  a  specimen.  Let  all  read, 
and  let  him  make  a  memorandum  of  the  manner,  noticing 
how  many  read  fluently,  how  many  with  difficulty,  how  many 
know  only  their  letters,  and  how  many  are  to  be  taught  these. 
Let  him  ascertain,  also,  what  progress  they  have  made  in 
arithmetic — how  many  can  readily  perform  the  elementary 
processes,  and  what  number  need  instruction  in  these.  After 
thus  surveying  the  ground,  let  him  form  his  plan,  and  lay 
out  his  whole  strength  in  carrying  forward  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible the  u'hole  school  in  these  studies.  By  this  means  he  is 
acting  most  directly  and  powerfully  on  the  intelligence  of 
the  whole  future  community  in  that  place.  He  is  opening 
to  fifty  or  a  hundred  minds  stores  of  knowledge  which  they 
will  go  on  exploring  for  years  to  come.  "What  a  descent 
now  from  such  a  work  as  this  to  the  mere  hearing  of  the 
recitation  of  two  or  three  boys  in  Trigonometry ! 

I  repeat  it,  that  a  thorough  and  enlightened  survey  of  the 
whole  school  should  be  taken,  and  plans  formed  for  elevating 
the  whole  mass  in  those  great  branches  of  knowledge  which 
arc  to  be  of  immediate  practical  use  to  them  in  future  life. 

If  the  school  is  one  more  advanced  in  respect  to  the  age 
and  studies  of  the  pupils,  the  teacher  should,  in  the  same 
manner,  before  he  forms  his  plans,  consider  well  what  are 
the  great  objects  which  he  has  to  accomplish.  He  should 


78  TIIE   TEACHER. 

ascertain  what  is  the  existing  state  of  his  school  both  as  to 
knowledge  and  character ;  how  long,  generally,  his  pupils 
are  to  remain  under  his  care ;  what  are  to  be  their  future 
stations  and  conditions  in  life,  and  what  objects  he  can  rea- 
sonably hope  to  effect  for  them  while  they  remain  under  his 
influence.  By  means  of  this  forethought  and  consideration 
he  will  be  enabled  to  work  understandingly. 

It  is  desirable,  too,  that  what  I  have  recommended  in  ref- 
erence to  the  whole  school  should  be  done  in  respect  to  the 
case  of  each  individual.  When  a  new  pupil  comes  under 
your  charge,  ascertain  (by  other  means,  however,  than  for- 
mal examination)  to  what  stage  his  education  has  advanced, 
and  deliberately  consider  what  objects  you  can  reasonably 
expect  to  effect  for  him  while  he  remains  under  your  care. 
You  can  not,  indeed,  always  form  your  plans  to  suit  so  ex- 
actly your  general  views  in  regard  to  the  school  and  to  indi- 
viduals as  you  cor.ld  wish.  But  these  general  views  will,  in 
a  thousand  cases,  modify  your  plans,  or  affect  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree  all  your  arrangements.  They  will  keep  yen  to  a 
steady  purpose,  and  your  work  will  go  on  far  more  system- 
atically and  regularly  than  it  would  do  if,  as  in  fact  many 
teachers  do,  you  were  to  come  headlong  into  your  school, 
take  things  just  as  you  find  them,  and  carry  them  forward 
at  random  without  end  or  aim. 

This  survey  of  your  field  being  made,  you  are  prepared  to 
commence  definite  operations,  and  the  great  difficulty  in  car- 
rying your  plans  into  effect  is  how  to  act  more  efficiently 
on  the  greatest  numbers  at  a  time.  The  whole  business  of  pub- 
lic instruction,  if  it  goes  on  at  all,  must  go  on  by  the  teach- 
er's skill  in  multiplying  his  power,  by  acting  on  numbers  at 
once.  In  most  books  on  education  we  are  taught,  almost 
exclusively,  how  to  operate  on  the  individual.  It  is  the  er- 
ror into  which  theoretic  writers  almost  always  fall.  We 
meet  in  every  periodical,  and  in  every  treatise,  and,  in  fact, 
in  almost  every  conversation  on  the  subject,  with  remarks 


INSTRUCTION.  79 

which  sound  very  well  by  the  fireside,  but  they  are  totally 
inefficient  and  useless  in  school,  from  their  being  apparently 
based  upon  the  supposition  that  the  teacher  has  but  one  pu- 
pil to  attend  to  at  a  time.  The  great  question  in  the  man- 
agement of  schools  is  not  how  you  can  take  one  scholar,  and 
lead  him  forward  most  rapidly  in  a  prescribed  course,  but 
how  you  can  classify  and  arrange  numbers,  comprising  every 
possible  variety  both  as  to  knowledge  and  capacity,  so  as  to 
carry  them  all  forward  effectually  together. 

The  extent  to  which  a  teacher  may  multiply  his  power  by 
acting  on  numbers  at  a  time  is  very  great.  In  order  to  es- 
timate it,  we  must  consider  carefully  what  it  is  when  carried 
to  the  greatest  extent  to  whjch  it  is  capable  of  being  carried 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  Now  it  is  possible 
for  a  teacher  to  speak  so  as  to  be  easily  heard  by  three  hund- 
red persons,  and  three  hundred  pupils  can  be  easily  so  seated 
as  to  see  his  illustrations  or  diagrams.  Now  suppose  that 
three  hundred  pupils,  all  ignorant  of  the  method  of  reducing 
fractions  to  a  common  denominator,  and  yet  all  old  enough 
to  learn,  are  collected  in  one  room.  Suppose  they  are  all  at- 
tentive and  desirous  of  learning,  it  is  very  plain  that  the  pro- 
cess may  be  explained  to  the  whole  at  once,  so  that  half  an 
hour  spent  in  that  exercise  would  enable  a  very  large  propor- 
tion of  them  to  understand  the  subject.  So,  if  a  teacher  is 
explaining  to  a  class  in  Grammar  the  difference  between  a 
noun  and  verb,  the  explanation  would  do  as  well  for  several 
hundred  as  for  the  dozen  who  constitute  the  class,  if  arrange- 
ments could  only  be  made  to  have  the  hundreds  hear  it ;  but 
there  are,  perhaps,  only  a  hundred  pupils  in  the  school,  and 
of  these  a  large  part  understand  already  the  point  to  be  ex- 
plained, and  another  large  part  arc  too  young  to  attend  to  it. 
I  wish  the  object  of  these  remarks  not  to  be  misunderstood. 
I  do  not  recommend  the  attempt  to  teach  on  so  extensive  a 
scale  ;  I  admit  that  it  is  impracticable  ;  I  only  mean  to  show 
in  what  the  impracticability  consists,  namely,  in  the  difficulty 


80  THE   TEACHER. 

of  making  such  arrangements  as  to  derive  the  full  benefit 
from  the  instructions  rendered.  The  instructions  of  the 
teacher  arc,  in  the  nature  of  things,  available  to  the  extent  I 
have  represented,  but  in  actual  practice  the  full  benefit  can 
not  be  derived.  Now,  so  far  as  we  thus  fall  short  of  this  full 
benefit,  so  far  there  is,  of  course,  waste ;  and  it  is  difficult  or 
impossible  to  make  such  arrangements  as  will  avoid  the  waste, 
in  this  manner,  of  a  large  portion  of  every  effort  which  the 
teacher  makes. 

A  very  small  class  instructed  by  an  able  teacher  is  like  a 
factory  of  a  hundred  spindles,  with  a  water-wheel  of  power 
sufficient  for  a  thousand.  In  such  a  case,  even  if  the  owner, 
from  want  of  capital  or  any  other  cause,  can  not  add  the 
other  nine  hundred,  he  ought  to  know  how  much  of  his  pow- 
er is  in  fact  unemployed,  and  make  arrangements  to  bring  it 
into  useful  exercise  as  soon  as  he  can.  The  teacher,  in  the 
same  manner,  should  understand  what  is  the  full  beneficial 
effect  which  it  is  possible,  in  theory,  to  derive  from  his  in- 
structions. He  should  understand,  too,  that  just  so  far  as  he 
falls  short  of  this  full  effect  there  is  waste.  It  may  be  una- 
voidable ;  part  of  it  unquestionably  is,  like  the  friction  of  ma- 
chinery, unavoidable.  Still,  it  is  waste  ;  and  it  ought  to  be 
so  understood,  that,  by  the  gradual  perfection  of  the  machin- 
ery, it  may  be  more  and  more  fully  prevented. 

Always  bear  in  mind,  then,  when  you  are  devoting  your 
time  to  two  or  three  individuals  in  a  class,  that  your  arc  los- 
ing a  large  part  of  your  labor.  Your  instructions  are  condu- 
cive to  good  effect  only  to  the  one  tenth  or  one  twentieth  of 
the  extent  to  which,  under  more  favorable  circumstances, 
they  might  be  made,  available.  And  though  you  can  not  al- 
ways avoid  this  loss,  you  ought  to  be  aware  of  it,  and  so  to 
shape  your  measures  as  to  diminish  it  as  much  as  possible. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  particular  measures  to  bo 
adopted  in  giving  instruction. 


INSTRUCTION.  81 

The  objects  which  arc  to  be  secured  in  the  management 
of  the  classes  arc  twofold  : 

1.  Recitation. 

2.  Instruction. 

These  two  objects  arc,  it  is  plain,  entirely  distinct.  Un- 
der the  latter  is  included  all  the  explanation,  and  assistance, 
and  additional  information  which  the  teacher  may  give  his 
pupils,  and  under  the  former,  such  an  examination  of  indi- 
viduals as  is  necessary  to  secure  their  careful  attention  to 
their  lessons.  It  is  unsafe  to  neglect  either  of  these  points. 
If  the  class  meetings  are  mere  recitations,  they  soon  become 
dull  and  mechanical ;  the  pupils  generally  take  little  interest 
in  their  studies,  and  imbibe  no  literary  spirit.  Their  intel- 
lectual progress  will,  accordingly,  suddenly  cease  the  moment 
they  leave  school,  and  so  cease  to  be  called  upon  to  recite 
lessons.  On  the  other  hand,  if  instruction  is  all  that  is  aimed 
at,  and  recitation  (by  which  I  mean,  as  above  explained,  such 
an  examination  of  individuals  as  is  necessary  to  ascertain 
that  they  have  faithfully  performed  the  tasks  assigned)  is 
neglected,  the  exercise  soon  becomes  not  much  more  than  a 
lecture,  to  which  those,  and  those  only,  will  attend  who  please. 

The  business,  therefore,  of  a  thorough  examination  of  the 
class  must  not  be  omitted.  I  do  not  mean  that  each  indi- 
vidual scholar  must  every  day  be  examined,  but  simply  that 
the  teacher  must,  in  some  way  or  other,  satisfy  himself  by 
reasonable  evidence  that  the  whole  class  are  really  prepared. 
A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  may  be  exercised  in  contriving 
means  for  effecting  this  object  in  the  shortest  possible  time. 
I  know  of  no  part  of  the  field  of  a  teacher's  labors  which 
may  be  more  facilitated  by  a  little  ingenuity  than  this. 

One  teacher,  for  instance,  has  a  spelling  lesson  to  hear, 
lie  begins  at  the  head  of  the  line,  and  putting  one  word  to 
each  boy,  goes  regularly  down,  each  successive  pupil  calcu- 
lating the  chances  whether  a  word  which  he  can  accident- 
ally spell  will  or  will  not  come  to  him.  If  lie  spells  it,  the 

D2 


82  THE   TEACHER. 

teacher  can  not  tell  whether  he  is  prepared  or  not.  That 
word  is  only  one  among  fifty  constituting  the  lesson.  If  he 
misses  it,  the  teacher  can  not  decide  that  he  was  unprepared. 
It  might  have  been  a  single  accidental  error. 

Another  teacher,  hearing  the  same  lesson,  requests  the  boys 
to  bring  their  slates,  and,  as  he  dictates  the  words  one  after 
another,  requires  all  to  write  them.  After  they  are  all  writ- 
ten, he  calls  upon  the  pupils  to  spell  them  aloud  as  they  have 
written  them,  simultaneously,  pausing  a  moment  after  each, 
to  give  those  who  are  wrong  an  opportunity  to  indicate  it  by 
some  mark  opposite  the  word  misspelled.  They  all  count  the 
number  of  errors  and  report  them.  He  passes  down  the 
class,  glancing  his  eye  at  the  work  of  each  one  to  see  that 
all  is  right,  noticing  particularly  those  slates  which,  from  the 
character  of  the  boys,  need  a  more  careful  inspection.  A 
teacher  who  had  never  tried  this  experiment  would  be  sur- 
prised at  the  rapidity  with  which  such  work  will  be  per- 
formed by  a  class  after  a  little  practice. 

Now  how  different  are  these  two  methods  in  their  actual 
results !  In  the  latter  case  the  whole  class  arc  thoroughly 
examined.  In  the  former  not  a  single  member  of  it  is.  Let 
me  not  be  understood  to  recommend  exactly  this  method  of 
teaching  spelling  as  the  best  one  to  be  adopted  in  all  cases. 
I  only  bring  it  forward  as  an  illustration  of  the  idea  that  a 
little  machinery,  a  little  ingenuity  in  contriving  ways  of  act- 
ing on  the  whole  rather  than  on  individuals,  will  very  much 
promote  the  teacher's  designs. 

In  order  to  facilitate  such  plans,  it  is  highly  desirable  that 
the  classes  should  be  trained  to  military  precision  and  exact- 
ness in  these  manipulations.  What  I  mean  by  this  may  per- 
haps be  best  illustrated  by  describing  a  case :  it  will  show,  in 
another  branch,  how  much  will  be  gained  by  acting  upon 
numbers  at  once  instead  of  upon  each  individual  in  succession. 

Imagine,  then,  that  a  teacher  requested  all  the  pupils  of 
his  school  who  could  write  to  take  out  their  plates  at  the 


INSTRUCTION.  83 

hour  for  a  general  exercise.  As  soon  as  the  first  bustle  of 
opening  and  shutting  the  desks  was  over,  he  looked  around 
the  room,  and  saw  some  ruling  lines  across  their  slates,  oth- 
ers wiping  them  all  over  on  both  sides  with  sponges,  others 
scribbling,  or  writing,  or  making  figures. 

"  All  those,"  says  he,  speaking,  however,  with  a  pleasant 
tone  and  with  a  pleasant  look,  "  who  have  taken  out  any 
thing  besides  slates,  may  rise." 

Several,  in  various  parts  of  the  room,  stood  up,. 

"  All*  those  who  have  written  any  thing  since  they  took 
out  their  slates  may  rise  too,  and  those  Avho  have  wiped  their 
slates." 

"When  all  were  up,  he  said  to  them,  though  not  with  a 
frown  or  a  scowl,  as  if  they  had  committed  a  great  offense, 

"  Suppose  a  company  of  soldiers  should  be  ordered  to  form 
a  line,  and  instead  of  simply  obeying  that  order  they  should 
all  set  at  work,  each  in  his  own  way,  doing  something  else. 
One  man  at  one  end  of  the  line  begins  to  load  and  fire  his 
gun  ;  another  takes  out  his  knapsack  and  begins  to  cat  his 
luncheon ;  a  third  amuses  himself  by  going  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble through  the  exercise ;  and  another  still,  begins  to  march 
about  hither  and  thither,  facing  to  the  right  and  left,  and 
performing  all  the  evolutions  he  can  think  of.  What  should 
you  say  to  such  a  company  as  that  ?" 

The  boys  laughed. 

"It  is  better,"  said  the  teacher,  "  when  numbers  arc  act- 
ing under  the  direction  of  one,  that  they  should  all  act  exactly 
together.  In  this  way  we  advance  much  faster  than  we  other- 
wise should.  Be  careful,  therefore,  to  do  exactly  what  I  com- 
mand, and  nothing  more. 

"Provide  a  place  on  your  slates  large  enough  to  write  a  single 
line,1"  added  the  teacher,  in  a  distinct  voice.  I  print  his  or- 
ders in  Italics,  and  his  rq^arks  and  explanations  in  Roman 
letters. 

"Prepare  to  write. 


84  TIIK   TEACHER. 

"I  mean  by  this,"  lie  continued,  "that  you  place  your 
slates  before  you  with  your  pencils  at  the  place  where  you 
arc  to  begin,  so  that  all  may  commence  precisely  at  the  same 
instant." 

The  teacher  who  tries  such  an  experiment  as  this  will  find 
at  such  a  juncture  an  expression  of  fixed  and  pleasant  atten- 
tion upon  every  countenance  in  school.  All  will  be  intent, 
all  will  be  interested.  Boys  love  order,  and  system,  and  act- 
ing in  concert,  and  they  will  obey  with  great  alacrity  such 
commands  as  these  if  they  are  good-humoredly,  though  de- 
cidedly expressed. 

The  teacher  observed  in  one  part  of  the  room  a  hand  raised, 
indicating  that  the  boy  wished  to  speak  to  him.  He  gave 
lam  liberty  by  pronouncing  his  name. 

"  I  have  no  pencil,"  said  the  boy. 

A  dozen  hands  all  around  him  were  immediately  seen  fum- 
bling in  pockets  and  desks,  and  in  a  few  minutes  several  pen- 
cils were  reached  out  for  his  acceptance. 

The  boy  looked  at  the  pencils  and  then  at  the  teacher;  he 
did  not  exactly  know  whether  he  was  to  take  one  or  not. 

"All  those  boys,"  said  the  teacher,  pleasantly,  "who  have 
taken  out  pencils,  may  rise. 

"  Have  these  boys  done  right  or  wrong  ?" 

"  Right ;"  "  Wrong ;"  "  Eight,"  answered  their  compan- 
ions, variously. 

"Their  motive  was  to  help  their  class-mate  out  of  his  dif- 
ficulties ;  that  is  a  good  feeling,  certainly." 

"  Yes,  sir,  right ;"  "  Eight." 

"But  I  thought  you  promised  me  a  moment  ago,"  replied 
the  teacher,  "not  to  do  any  thing  unless  I  commanded  it. 
Did  I  ask  for  pencils  *?" 

A  pause. 

"  I  do  not  blame  these  boys  aj^all  in  this  case ;  still,  it  is 
better  to  adhere  rigidly  to  the  principle  of  exact  obedience 
when  numbers  arc  acting  together.  I  thank  them,  therefore, 


INSTRUCTION.  85 

for  being  so  ready  to  assist  a  companion,  but  they  must  put 
their  pencils  away,  as  they  were  taken  out  without  orders." 

Now  such  a  dialogue  as  this,  if  the  teacher  speaks  in  a 
good-humored,  though  decided  manner,  would  be  universally 
well  received  in  any  school.  Whenever  strictness  of  disci- 
pline is  unpopular,  it  is  rendered  so  simply  by  the  ill-humor- 
ed and  ill-judged  means  by  which  it  is  attempted  to  be  intro- 
duced. But  all  children  will  love  strict  discipline  if  it  is 
pleasantly,  though  firmly  maintained.  It  is  a  great,  though 
very  prevalent  mistake,  to  imagine  that  boys  and  girls  like  a 
lax  and  inefficient  government,  and  dislike  the  pressure  of 
steady  control.  What  they  dislike  is  gour  looks  and  irritat- 
ing language,  and  they  therefore  very  naturally  dislike  every 
thing  introduced  or  sustained  by  means  of  them.  If,  how- 
ever, exactness  and  precision  in  all  the  operations  of  a  class 
and  of  the  school  are  introduced  and  enforced  in  the  proper 
manner,  that  is,  by  a  firm,  but  mild  and  good-humored  au- 
thority, scholars  will  universally  be  pleased  with  them.  They 
like  to  see  the  uniform  appearance,  the  straight  line,  the  si- 
multaneous movement.  They  like  to  feel  the  operation  of  sys- 
tem, and  to  realize,  while  they  are  at  the  school-room,  that 
they  form  a  community,  governed  by  fixed  and  steady  laws, 
firmly  but  kindly  administered.  On  the  other  hand,  laxity 
of  discipline,  and  the  disorder  which  will  result  from  it,  will 
only  lead  the  pupils  to  contemn  their  teacher  and  to  halo 
their  school. 

By  introducing  and  maintaining  such  a  discipline  as  I  have 
described,  great  facilities  will  be  secured  for  examining  the 
classes.  For  example,  to  take  a  case  different  from  the  one 
before  described,  let  us  suppose  that  a  class  have  been  per- 
forming a  number  of  examples  in  Addition.  They  come  to- 
gether to  the  recitation,  and,  under  one  mode  of  managing 
classes,  the  teacher  is  immediately  beset  by  a  number  of  the 
pupils  with  excuses.  One  had  no  slate  ;  another  was  absent 
when  the  lesson  was  assigned ;  a  third  performed  the  work, 


86  THE   TEACHER. 

but  it  got  rubbed  out,  and  a  fourth  did  not  know  what  was 
to  be  done.  The  teacher  stops  to  hear  all  these,  and  to  talk 
about  them,  fretting  himself,  and  fretting  the  delinquents 
by  his  impatient  remarks.  The  rest  of  the  class  are  waiting, 
and,  having  nothing  good  to  do,  the  temptation  is  almost  ir- 
resistible to  do  something  bad.  One  boy  is  drawing  pictures 
on  his  slate  to  make  his  neighbors  laugh,  another  is  Avhisper- 
ing,  and  two  more  arc  at  play.  The  disorder  continues  while 
the  teacher  goes  round  examining  slate  after  slate,  his  whole 
attention  being  engrossed  by  each  individual,  as  the  pupils 
come  to  him  successively,  while  the  rest  are  left  to  them- 
selves, interrupted  dhly  by  an  occasional  harsh,  or  even  an- 
gry, but  utterly  useless  rebuke  from  him. 

But,  under  another  mode  of  managing  classes  and  schools, 
a  very  different  result  would  be  produced. 

A  boy  approaches  the  teacher  to  render  an  excuse ;  tho 
teacher  replies,  addressing  himself,  however,  to  the  whole 
class,  "  I  shall  give  all  an  opportunity  to  offer  their  excuses 
presently.  No  one  must  come  till  he  is  called." 

The  class  then  regularly  take  their  places  in  the  recitation 
seats,  the  prepared  and  unprepared  together.  The  following 
commands  are  given  and  obeyed  promptly.  They  arc  spoken 
pleasantly,  but  still  in  the  tone  of  command. 

"  The  class  may  rise. 

"  All  those  that  are  not  fully  prepared  with  this  lesson 
may  sit." 

A  number  sit ;  and  others,  doubtful  whether  they  arc  pre- 
pared or  not,  or  thinking  that  there  is  something  peculiar  in 
their  cases,  which  they  wish  to  state,  raise  thqir  hands,  or 
make  any  other  signal  which  is  customary  to  indicate  a  wish 
to  speak.  Such  a  signal  ought  always  to  be  agreed  upon, 
and  understood  in  school. 

The  teacher  shakes  his  head,  saying,  "  I  will  hear  you 
presently.  If  there  is,  on  any  account  whatever,  any  doubt 
whether  you  are  prepared,  you  must  sit. 


INSTRUCTION.  87 

"  Those  that  arc  standing  may  read  their  answers  to  No.  1. 
Unit  figure1?" 

Bays.  "Five." 

Teacher.  "  Tens  ?" 

B.  "Six." 

T.  "Hundreds?" 

B.  "Seven." 

While  these  numbers  are  thus  reading,  the  teacher  looks 
at  the  boys,  and  can  easily  see  whether  any  are  not  reading 
their  own  answers,  but  only  following  the  rest.  If  they  have 
been  trained  to  speak  exactly  together,  his  ear  will  also  at 
once  detect  any  erroneous  answer  which  any  one  may  give, 
lie  takes  down  the  figures  given  by  the  majority  on  his  own 
slate,  and  reads  them  aloud. 

"This  is  the  answer  obtained  by  the  majority;  it  is  un- 
doubtedly right.  Those  who  have  different  answers  may 
sit." 

These  directions,  if  understood  and  obeyed,  would  divide 
the  class  evidently  into  two  portions.  Those  standing  have 
their  work  done,  and  done  correctly,  and  those  sitting  have 
some  excuse  or  error  to  be  examined.  A  new  lesson  may 
now  be  assigned,  and  the  first  portion  may  be  dismissed, 
which  in  a  well-regulated  school  will  be  two  thirds  of  the 
class.  Their  slates  may  be  slightly  examined  as  they  pass 
by  the  teacher  on  their  way  to  their  seats  to  sec  that  all  is 
fair ;  but  it  will  be  safe  to  take  it  for  granted  that  a  result 
in  which  a  majority  agree  will  be  right.  Truth  is  consistent 
with  itself,  but  error,  in  such  a  case,  never  is.  This  the 
teacher  cai\  at  any  time  show  by  compai'ing  the  answers 
that  are  wrong ;  they  will  always  be  found,  not  only  to  dif- 
fer from  the  correct  result,  but  to  contradict  each  other. 

The  teacher  may  now,  if  he  pleases,  after  the  majority  of 
the  class  have  gone,  hear  the  reasons  of  those  who  were  un- 
prepared, and  look  for  the  errors  of  those  whose  work  was 
incorrect ;  but  it  is  better  to  spend  as  little  time  as  possible 


88  THE   TEACHER. 

in  such  a  way.  If  a  scholar  is  not  prepared,  it  is  not  of  much 
consequence  whether  it  is  because  he  forgot  his  book  or  mis- 
took the  lesson  ;  or  if  it  is  ascertained  that  his  answer  is  in- 
correct, it  is  ordinarily  a  mere  waste  of  time  to  search  for  the 
particular  error. 

"  I  have  looked  over  my  work,  sir,"  says  the  boy,  perhaps, 
"and  I  can  not  find  where  it  is  wrong."  He  means  by  it 
that  he  docs  not  believe  that  it  is  wrong. 

"  It  is  no  matter  if  you  can  not,"  would  be  the  proper  re- 
ply, "  since  it  certainly  is  wrong ;  you  have  made  a  mistake 
in  adding  somewhere,  but  it  is  not  worth  while  for  me  to 
spend  two  or  three  minutes  apiece  with  all  of  you  to  ascer- 
tain where.  Try  to  be  careful  next  time." 

Indeed  the  teacher  should  understand  and  remember  what 
many  teachers  are  very  prone  to  forget,  namely,  that  the 
mere  fact  of  finding  an  arithmetical  error  in  a  pupil's  work 
on  the  slate,  and  pointing  it  out  to  him,  has  very  little  ef- 
fect in  correcting  the  false  habit  in  his  mind  from  which  it 
arose. 

The  cases  of  those  who  are  unprepared  at  a  recitation 
ought  by  no  means  to  be  passed  by  unnoticed,  although  it 
would  be  unwise  to  spend  much  time  in  examining  each  in 
detail. 

"  It  is  not  of  much  consequence,"  the  teacher  might  say, 
"  whether  you  have  good  excuses  or  bad,  so  long  as  you  are 
not  prepared.  In  future  life  you  will  certainly  be  unsuccess- 
ful if  you  fail,  no  matter  for  what  reason,  to  discharge  the 
duties  which  devolve  upon  you.  A  carpenter,  for  instance, 
would  certainly  lose  his  custom  if  he  should  not  perform  his 
work  faithfully  and  in  season.  Excuses,  no  matter  how  rea- 
sonable, will  do  him  little  good.  It  is  just  so  in  respect  to 
punctuality  in  time  as  well  as  in  respect  to  performance  of 
duty.  What  we  want  is  that  every  boy  should  be  in  his 
place  at  the  proper  moment ;  not  that  he  should  be  late,  and 
have  good  excuses  for  it.  When  you  come  to  be  men,  tardi- 


INSTRUCTION.  89 

ness  will  always  be  punished.     Excuses  will  not  help  the 
^r^;-_-     matter  at  all.     Suppose,  here- 
after, when  you  are  about  to 
take  a  journey,  you  reach  tho 
pier    five    minutes    after    the 
steamer  has  gone,  what  good 
will  excuses  do  you?     There 
you  are,  left  hopelessly  behind, 
no  matter  if  your  excuses  are 
the  best  in  the  world.     So  in 
this  school.    I  want  good  punc- 
tuality and  good  recitations,  not  good  excuses.     I  hope  ev- 
ery one  will  be  prepared  to-morrow." 

It  is  not  probable,  however,  that  every  one  would  be  pre- 
pared the  next  -day  in  such  a  case,  but  by  acting  steadily 
on  these  principles  the  number  of  delinquencies  would  be  so 
much  diminished  that  the  very  few  which  should  be  left 
could  easily  be  examined  in  detail,  and  the  remedies  applied. 
Simultaneous  recitation,  by  which  I  mean  the  practice  of 
addressing  a  question  to  all  the  class  to  be  answered  by  all 
together,  is  a  practice  which  has  been  for  some  years  rapidly 
extending  in  our  schools,  and,  if  adopted  with  proper  limits 
and  restrictions,  is  attended  with  great  advantage.  The 
teacher  must  guard  against  some  dangers,  however,  which 
will  be  likely  to  attend  it.  , 

1.  Some  will  answer  very  eagerly,  instantly  after  the  ques- 
tion is  completed.     They  wish  to  show  their  superior  readi- 
ness.    Let  the  teacher  mention  this,  expose  kindly  the  motive 
which  leads  to  it,  and  tell  them  it  is  as  irregular  to  answer 
before  the  rest  as  after  them. 

2.  Some  will  defer  their  answers  until  they  can  catch  those 
of  their  comrades  for  a  guide.     Let  the  teacher  mention  this 
fault,  expose  the  motive  which  leads  to  it,  and  tell  them  that 
if  they  do  not  answer  independently  and  at  once,  they  had 
better  not  answer  at  all. 


90  THE   TEACHER. 

3.  Some  will  not  answer  at  all.     The  teacher  can  see  by 
looking  around  the  room  who  do  not,  for  they  can  not  coun- 
terfeit the  proper  motion  of  the  lips  with  promptness  and  de- 
cision unless  they  know  what  the  answer  is  to  be.     He  ought 
occasionally  to  say  to  such  a  one,  "  I  perceive  you  do  not  an- 
swer," and  ask  him  questions  individually. 

4.  In  some  cases  there  is  danger  of  confusion  in  the  an- 
swers, from  the  fact  that  the  question  may  be  of  such  a  na- 
ture that  the  answer  is  long,  and  may  by  different  individuals 
be  differently  expressed.     This  evil  must  be  guarded  against 
by  so  shaping  the  question  as  to  admit  of  a  reply  in  a  single 
word.     In  reading  large  numbers,  for  example,  each  figure 
may  be  called  for  by  itself,  or  they  may  be  given  one  after 
another,  the  pupils  keeping  exact  time.     When  it  is  desira- 
ble to  ask  a  question  to  which  the  answer  is  necessarily  long 
it  may  be  addressed  to  an  individual,  or  the  whole  class  may 
write  their  replies,  which  may  then  be  read  in  succession. 

In  a  great  many  cases  where  simultaneous  answering  is 
practiced,  after  a  short  time  the  evils  above  specified  are  al- 
lowed to  grow,  until  at  last  some  half  a  dozen  bright  mem- 
bers of  a  class  answer  for  all,  the  rest  dragging  after  them, 
echoing  their  replies,  or  ceasing  to  take  any  interest  in  an 
exercise  which  brings  no  personal  and  individual  responsi- 
bility upon  them.  To  prevent  this,  the  teacher  should  cx- 
•crcise  double  vigilance  at  such  a  time.  He  should  often  ad- 
dress questions  to  individuals  alone,  especially  to  those  most 
likely  to  be  inattentive  and  careless,  and  guard  against  the 
ingress  of  every  abuse  which  might,  without  close  vigilance, 
appear. 

With  these  cautions,  the  method  here  alluded  to  will  be 
found  to  be  of  very  great  advantage  in  many  studies ;  for 
example,  all  the  arithmetical  tables  may  be  recited  in  this 
way ;  words  may  be  spelled,  answers  to  sums  given,  columns 
of  figures  added,  or  numbers  multiplied,  and  many  questions 
in  history,  geography,  and  other  miscellaneous  studies  an- 


INSTRUCTION.  91 

swered,  especially  the  general  questions  asked  for  the  purpose 
of  a  review. 

But,  besides  being  useful  as  a  mode  of  examination,  this 
plan  of  answering  questions  simultaneously  is  a  very  impor- 
tant means  of  fixing  in  the  mind  any  facts  which  the  teacher 
may  communicate  to  his  pupils.  If,  for  instance,  he  says 
some  day  to  a  class  that  Vasco  dc  Gama  was  the  discoverer 
of  the  passage  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  leaves  it 
here,  in  a  few  days  not  one  in  twenty  will  recollect  the  name. 
But  let  him  call  upon  them  all  to  spell  it  simultaneously,  and 
then  to  pronounce  it  distinctly  three  or  four  times  in  con- 
cert, and  the  word  will  be  very  strongly  impressed  upon  their 
minds.  The  reflecting  teacher  will  find  a  thousand  cases  in 
the  instruction  of  his  classes,  and  in  his  general  exercises  in 
the  school,  in  which  this  principle  will  be  of  great  utility.  It 
is  universal  in  its  application.  What  we  scttj  we  fix,  by  the 
very  act  of  saying  it,  in  the  mind.  Hence,  reading  aloud, 
though  a,  slower,  is  a  far  more  thorough  method  of  acquiring 
knowledge  than  reading  silently,  and  it  is  better,  in  almost 
all  cases,  whether  in  the  family,  or  in  Sabbath  or  common 
schools,  when  general  instructions  are  given,  to  have  the  lead- 
ing points  fixed  in  the  mind  by  questions  answered  simulta- 
neously. 

But  we  are  wandering  a  little  from  our  subject,  which  is, 
in  this  part  of  our  chapter,  the  methods  of  examining  a  class; 
.not  of  giving  or  fixing  instructions. 

Another  mode  of  examining  classes,  which  it  is  important 
to  describe,  consists  in  requiring  written  ansicers  to  the  ques- 
tions asked.  The  form  and  manner  in  which  this  plan  may 
be  adopted  is  various.  The  class  may  bring  their  slates  to 
the  recitation,  and  the  teacher  may  propose  questions  suc- 
cessively, the  answers  to  which  all  the  class  may  write,  num- 
bering them  carefully.  After  a  dozen  answers  are  written, 
the  teacher  may  call  at  random  for  them,  or  he  may  repeat 
a  question,  and  ask  each  pupil  to  read  the  answer  he  had 


92  THE   TEACHER. 

written,  or  he  may  examine  the  slates.  Perhaps  this  method 
may  be  very  successfully  employed  in  reviews  by  dictating  to 
the  class  a  list  of  questions  relating  to  the  ground  they  have 
gone  over  for  a  week,  and  then  instructing  them  to  prepare 
answers  written  out  at  length,  and  to  bring  them  in  at  the 
next  exercise.  This  method  may  be  made  more  formal  still 
by  requiring  a  class  to  write  a  full  and  regular  abstract  of 
all  they  have  learned  during  a  specified  time.  The  practice 
of  thus  reducing  to  writing  what  has  been  learned  will  be 
attended  with  many  advantages  so  obvious  that  they  need 
not  be  described. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  three  methods  of  examining  class- 
es have  now  been  named,  and  these  will  afford  the  teacher 
the  means  of  introducing  a  very  great  variety  in  his  mode  of 
conducting  his  recitations,  while  he  still  carries  his  class  for- 
ward steadily  in  their  prescribed  course.  Each  is  attended 
with  its  peculiar  advantages.  The  single  replies,  coming  from 
individuals  specially  addressed,  are  more  rigid,  and  more  to 
be  relied  upon,  but  they  consume  a  great  deal  of  time,  and, 
while  one  is  questioned,  it  requires  much  skill  to  keep  up  in- 
terest in  the  rest.  The  simultaneous  answers  of  a  class  awaken 
more  general  interest,  but  it  is  difficult,  without  special  care, 
to  secure  by  this  means  a  special  examination  of  all.  The 
written  replies  arc  more  thorough,  but  they  require  more  time 
and  attention,  and  while  they  habituate  the  pupil  to  express 
himself  in  writing,  they  would,  if  exclusively  adopted,  fail  to 
accustom  him  to  an  equally  important  practice,  that  of  the 
oral  communication  of  his  thoughts.  A  constant  variety,  of 
which  these  three  methods  should  be  the  elements,  is  unques- 
tionably the  best  mode.  "We  not  only,  by  this  means,  secure 
in  a  great  degree  the  advantages  which  each  is  fitted  to  pro- 
duce, but  we  gain  also  the  additional  advantage  and  interest 
of  variety. 

By  these,  and  perhaps  by  other  means,  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  teacher  to  satisfy  himself  that  his  pupils  are  really  attcn- 


IXSTKUCTION.  93 

tivc  to  their  duties.  It  is  not  perhaps  necessary  that  every 
individual  should  be  every  day  minutely  examined ;  this  is, 
in  many,  cases,  impossible ;  but  the  system  of  examination 
should  be  so  framed  and  so  administered  as  to  be  daily  felt 
by  all,  and  to  bring  upon  every  one  a  daily  responsibility. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  second  general  head  which 
was  to  be  discussed  in  this  chapter. 

u  The  study  of  books  alone  is  insufficient  to  give  knowledge 
to  the  young/  .  In  the  first  stage,  learning  to  read  a  book  is 
of  no  use  whatever  without  the  voice  of  the  living  teacher. 
The  child  can  not  take  a  step  alone.  >  As  the  pupil,  however, 
advances  in  his  course,  his  dependence  upon  his  teacher  for 
guidance  and  help  continually  diminishes,  until  at  last  the 
scholar  sits  in  his  solitary  study,  Avith  no  companion  but  his 
books,  and  desiring,  for  a  solution  of  every  difficulty,  nothing 
but  a  larger  library.  In  schools,  however,  the  pupils  have 
made  so  little  progress  in  this  course,  that  they  all  need  more 
or  less  of  the  oral  assistance  of  a  teacher.  Difficulties  must 
be  explained  ;  questions  must  be  answered ;  the  path  must  be 
smoothed,  and  the  way  pointed  out  by  a  guide  who  has  trav- 
eled it  before,  or  it  will  be  impossible  for  the  pupil  to  go  on. 
This  is  the  part  of  our  subject  which  we  now  approach. 

The  great  principle  which  is  to  guide  the  teacher  in  this 
part  of  his  duty  is  this :  Assist  your  piqnls  in  stick  a  icay  as  to 
lead  them,  as  soon  as  jwssiblc,  to  do  without  assistance.  This  is 
fundamental.  <  In  a  short  time  they  will  be  away  from  your 
reach  ;  they  will  have  no  teacher  to  consult ;  and  unless  you 
teach  them  how  to  understand  books  themselves,  they  must 
necessarily  stop  suddenly  in  their  course  the  moment  you 
cease  to  help  them  forward.  I  shall  proceed,  therefore,  to 
consider  the  subject  in  the  following  plan  : 

1 .  Means  of  exciting  interest  in  study. 

2.  The  kind  and  degree  of  assistance  to  be  rendered. 

3.  Miscellaneous  suggestions. 


94  THE   TEACHER. 

1.  Interesting  the  pupils  in  their  studies.  There  are  va- 
rious principles  of  human  nature  which  may  be  of  great  avail 
ia  accomplishing  this  object.  Making  intellectual  effort  and 
acquiring  knowledge  are  always  pleasant  to  the  human  mind, 
unless  some  peculiar  circumstances  render  them  otherwise. 
The  teacher  has,  therefore,  or?ly  to  remove  obstructions  and 
sources  of  pain,  and  the  employment  of  his  pupils  will  be  of 
itself  a  pleasure. 

"I  am  going  to  give  you  a  new  exercise  to-day,"  said  a 
teacher  to  a  class  of  boys  in  Latin.  "  I  ain  going  to  have 
you  parse  your  whole  lesson  in  writing.  It  will  be  difficult, 
but  I  think  you  may  be  able  to  accomplish  it." 

The  class  looked  surprised.  They  did  not  know  what/ws- 
iiif/  in  writing  could  be. 

"  You  may  first,  when  you  take  your  scats,  and  are  ready 
to  prepare  the  lesson,  write  upon  your  slates  a  list  of  the  ten 
first  nouns  that  you  find  in  the  lesson,  arranging  them  in  a 
column.  Do  you  understand  so  far?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  rule  lines  for  another  column,  just  beyond  this.  In 
parsing  nouns,  what  is  the  first  particular  to  be  named  ?" 

"  What  the  noun  is  from." 

"Yes;  that  is,  its  nominative.  Now  you  may  write,  at 
the  head  of  the  first  column,  the  word  Nouns,  and  at  the  head 
of  the  second,  Nom.,  for  nominative.  Then  rule  a  line  for 
the  third  column.  What  shall  this  contain?"  "The  de- 
clension." "Yes;  and  the  fourth?"  "Gender."  "The 
fifth?"  "Number." 

In  the  same  manner  the  other  columns  were  designated. 
The  sixth  was  to  contain  case ;  the  seventh,  the  word  with 
which  the  noun  was  connected  in  construction  ;  and  the 
eighth,  a  reference  to  the  rule. 

"  Now  I  wish  you,"  continued  the  teacher,  "  to  fill  up  such 
a  table  as  this  with  ten  nouns.  Do  you  understand  how  I 
mean  ?" 


INSTRUCTION.  95 

"Yes,  sir;"  "No,  sir,"  they  answered,  variously. 

"  All  who  do  understand  may  take  their  seats,  as  I  wish 
to  give  as  little  explanation  as  possible.  The  more  you  can 
depend  upon  yourselves,  the  better." 

Those  who  saw  clearly  what  was  to  be  done  left  the  class, 
and  the  teacher  continued  his  explanation  to  those  who  were 
left  behind.  He  made  the  plan  perfectly  clear  to  them  by 
taking  a  particular  noun  and  running  it  through  the  table, 
showing  what  should  be  written  opposite  to  the  word  in  all 
the  columns,  and  then  dismissed  them. 

The  class  separated,  as  every  class  would,  in  such  a  case, 
with  a  strong  feeling  of  interest  in  the  work  before  them.  It 
was  not  so  difficult  as  to  perplex  them,  and  yet  it  required 
attention  and  care.  They  were  interested  and  pleased  — 
pleased  with  the  effort  which  it  required  them  to  make,  and 
they  anticipated,  with  interest  and  pleasure,  the  time  of  com- 
ing again  to  the  class  to  report  and  compare  their  work. 

When  the  time  for  the  class  came,  the  teacher  addressed 
them  somewhat  as  follows  : 

"  Before  looking  at  your  slates,  I  am  going  to  predict  what 
the  faults  are.  I  have  not  seen  any  of  your  work,  but  shall 
judge  altogether  from  my  general  knowledge  of  school-boys, 
and  the  difficulties  I  know  they  meet  with.  Do  you  think  I 
shall  succeed?" 

The  scholars  made  no  reply,  and  an  unskillful  teacher 
would  imagine  that  time  spent  in  such  remarks  would  be 
wholly  wasted.  By  no  means.  The  influence  of  them  was 
to  awaken  universal  interest  in  the  approaching  examination 
of  the  slates.  Every  scholar  would  be  intent,  watching,  with 
eager  interest,  to  see  whether  the  imagined  faults  would  be 
found  upon  his  work.  The  class  was,  by  that  single  pleasant 
remark,  put  into  the  best  possible  state  for  receiving  the  crit- 
icisms of  the  teacher. 

"  The  first  fault  which  I  suppose  will  be  found  is  that  some 
are  unfinished." 


96  THE   TEACHER. 

The  scholars  looked  surprised.  They  did  not  expect  to 
Lave  that  called  a  fault. 

"  How  many  plead  guilty  to  it  ?" 

A  few  raised  their  hands,  and  the  teacher  continued : 

"  I  suppose  that  some  will  be  found  partly  effaced.  The 
slates  were  not  laid  away  carefully,  or  they  were  not  clean, 
so  that  the  writing  is  not  distinct.  How  many  find  this  the 
case  with  their  work  ? 

"I  suppose  that,  in  some  cases,  the  lines  will  not  be  perpen- 
dicular, but  will  slant,  probably  toward  the  left,  like  writing. 

"I  suppose,  also,  that,  in  some  cases,  the  writing  will  be 
careless,  so  that  I  can  not  easily  read  it.  How  many  plead 
guilty  to  this  ?" 

After  mentioning  such  other  faults  as  occurred  to  him, 
relating  chiefly  to  the  form  of  the  table,  and  the  mere  me- 
chanical execution  of  he  work,  he  said, 

"  I  think  I  shall  not  look  at  your  slates  to-day.  You  can 
all  sec,  I  have  no  doubt,  how  you  can  considerably  improve 
them  i:i  mechanical  execution  in  your  next  lesson ;  and  I 
suppose  you  would  a  little  prefer  that  I  should  not  see  your 
first  imperfect  efforts.  In  fact,  I  should  rather  not  see  them. 
At  the  next  recitation  they  probably  will  be  much  better." 

One  important  means  by  which  the  teacher  may  make  his 
scholars  careful  of  their  reputation  is  to  show  them,  thus, 
that  he  is  careful  of  it  himself. 

Now  in  such  a  case  as  this,  for  it  is,  except  in  the  prin- 
ciples which  it  is  intended  to  illustrate,  imaginary,  a  very 
strong  interest  would  be  awakened  in  the  class  in  the  work 
assigned  them,  i  Intellectual  effort  in  new  and  constantly 
varied  modes  is  in  itself  a  pleasure,  and  this  pleasure  the 
teacher  may  deepen  and  increase  very  easily  by  a  little  dex- 
terous management,  designed  to  awaken  curiosity  and  con- 
centrate attention.  It  ought,  however,  to  be  constantly  borne 
in  mind  that  this  variety  should  be  confined  to  the  modes  of 
pursuing  an  object — the  object  itself  being  permanent,  and 


INSTRUCTION-  97 

constant,  nncl  steadily  pursued.  For  instance,  if  a  little  class 
arc  to  bo  taught  simple  addition,  after  the  process  is  once  ex- 
plained, which  may  be  done,  perhaps,  in  two  or  three  lessons, 
they  will  need  many  days  of  patient  practice  to  render  it  fa- 
miliar, to  impress  it  firmly  in  their  recollection,  and  to  ena- 
ble them  to  work  with  rapidity.  Now  this  object  must  be 
steadily  pursued.  It  would  be  very  unwise  for  the  teacher 
to  say  to  himself,  My  class  are  tired  of  addition ;  I  must  car- 
ry them  on  to  subtraction,  or  give  them  some  other  study. 
It  would  be  equally  unwise  to  keep  them  many  days  perform- 
ing example  after  example  in  monotonous  succession,  each 
lesson  a  mere  repetition  of  the  last.  lie  must  steadily  pur- 
sue his  object  of  familiarizing  them  fully  with  this  element- 
ary process,  but  he  may  give  variety  and  spirit  to  the  work 
by  changing  occasionally  the  modes.  One  week  he  may  dic- 
tate examples  to  them,  and  let  them  come  together  to  com- 
pare their  results,  one  of  the  class  being  appointed  to  keep 
a  list  of  all  who  arc  correct  each  day.  At  another  time 
each  ono  may  write  an  example,  which  he  may  read  aloud 
to  all  the  others,  to  be  performed  and  brought  in  at  the  next 
time.  Again,  he  may  let  them  work  on  paper  with  pen  and 
ink,  that  he  may  see  how  few  mistakes  they  make,  as  mis- 
takes in  ink  can  not  be  easily  removed.  He  may  excite  in- 
terest by  devising  ingenious  examples,  such  as  finding  out 
how  much  all  the  numbers  from  one  to  fifty  will  make  when 
added  together,  or  the  amount  of  the  ages  of  the  whole  class, 
or  any  such  investigation,  the  result  of  which  they  might  feel 
an  interest  in  learning.  /  Thus  the  object  is  steadily  pursued, 
though  the  means  of  pursuing  it  are  constantly  changing. 
We  have  the  advantage  of  regular  progress  in  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge  truly  valuable,  while  this  progress  is  made  with 
all  the  spirit  and  interest  which  variety  can  give. 
_  Tlyj  necessity  of  making  such  efforts  as  this,  however,  to 
keep  up  the  interest  of  the  class  in  their  work,  and  to  make 
it  pleasant  to  them,  will  depend  altogether  upon  circum- 

E 


08  THE   TEACHER. 

stances;  or,  rather,  it  will  vary  much  with  circumstances. 
A  class  of  pupils  somewhat  advanced  in  their  studies,  and 
understanding  and  feeling  the  value  of  knowledge,  will  need 
very  little  of  such  effort  as  this ;  while  young  and  giddy  chil- 
dren, who  have  been  accustomed  to  dislike  books  and  school, 
and  every  thing  connected  with  them,  will  need  more.  It 
ought,  however,  in  all  cases,  to  be  made  a  means,  not  an 
end — the  means  to  lead  on  a  pupil  to  an  interest  in  progress 
in,  knowledge  itself,  which  is,  after  all,  the  great  motive  which 
ought  to  be  brought  as  soon  and  as  extensively  as  possible  to 
operate  in  the  school-room. 

2.  Another  way  to  awaken  interest  in  the  studies  of  the  school 
is  to  bring  out,  as  frequently  and  as  distinctly  as  possible,  tho 
connection  between  these  studies  and  the  practical  business 
of  life.  /The  events  which  are  occurring  around  you,  and 
which  interest  the  community  in  which  you  arc  placed,  may, 
by  a  little  ingenuity,  bo  connected  in  a  thousand  waj's  with 
the  studies  of  the  school.  If  the  practice;  which  has  been 
already  repeatedly  recommended,  of  appropriating  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  each  day  to  a  general  exercise,  should  be  adopted, 
it  will  afford  great  facilities  for  doing  this. 

There  is  no  branch  of'  study  attended  to  in  school  which 
may,  by  judicious  efforts,  be  made  more  effectual  in  accom- 
plishing this  object,  leading  the  pupils  to  see  the  practical 
utility  and  the  value  of  knowledge,  than  composition.  If 
such  subjects  as  are  suitable  themes  for  moral  essays  are  as- 
signed, the  scholars  will  indeed  dislike  the  work  of  writing, 
and  derive  little  benefit  from  it.  The  mass  of  pupils  in  our 
schools  are  not  to  be  writers  of  moral  essays  or  orations,  and 
they  do  not  need  to  form  that  style  of  empty,  florid,  verbose 
declamation  which  the  practice  of  writing  composition  in  our 
schools,  as  it  is  too  frequently  managed,  tends  to  form.  As- 
sign practical  subjects — subjects  relating  to  the  businaes  of 
the  school,  or  the  events  taking  place  around  you.  Is  there 
a  question  before  the  community  on  the  subject  of  the  loca- 


INSTKUCTION.  .  99 

tion  of  a  new  school-house '?  Assign  it  to  your  pupils  as  a 
question  for  discussion,  and  direct  them  not  to  write  empty 
declamation,  but  to  obtain  from  their  parents  the  real  argu- 
ments in  the  case,  and  to  present  them  distinctly  and  clearly, 
and  in  simple  language,  to  their  companions.  "Was  a  build- 
ing burned  by  lightning  in  the  neighborhood?  Let  those  who 
saw  the  scene  describe  it,  their  productions  to  be  read  by  the 
teacher  aloud,  and  let  them  sec  that  clear  descriptions  please, 
and  that  good  legible  writing  can  be  read  fluently,  arid  that 
correct  spelling,  and  punctuation,  and  grammar  make  the 
article  go  smoothly  and  pleasantly,  and  enable  it  to  produce 
its  full  effect.  Is  the  erection  of  a  public  building  going  for- 
ward in  the  neighborhood  of  your  school?  You  can  make 
it  a  very  fruitful  source  of  subjects  and  questions  to  give  in- 
terest and  impulse  to  the  studies  of  the  school-room.  Your" 
classes  in  geometry  may  measure,  your  arithmeticians  may 
calculate  and  make  estimates,  your  writers  may  describe  its 
progress  from  week  to  week,  and  anticipate  the  scenes  which 
it  will  in  future  years  exhibit. 

By  such  means  the  practical  bearings  and  relations  of  the 
studies  of  the  school-room  may  be  constantly  kept  in  view ; 
but  I  ought  to  guard  the  teacher,  while  on  this  subject,  most 
distinctly  against  the  danger  of  making  the  school-room  a 
scene  of  literary  amusement  instead  of  study.  These  means 
of  awakening  interest  and  relieving  the  tedium  of  the  unin- 
terrupted and  monotonous  study  of  text-books  must  not  en- 
croach on  the  regular  duties  of  the  school.  They  must  be 
brought  forward  with  judgment  and  moderation,  and  made 
subordinate  and  subservient  to  these  regular  duties.  Their 
design  is  to  give  spirit  and  interest,  and  a  feeling  of  practical 
utility  to  what  the  pupils  are  doing ;  and  if  resorted  to  with 
these  restrictions  and  within  these  limits,  they  will  produce 
powerful,  but  safe  results. 

Another  way  to  excite  interest,  and  that  of  the  right  kind, 
in  school,  is  not  to  remove  difficulties,  but  to  teach  the  pupils 


100  THE   TEACHER. 

'» 

r-i 

how  to  surmount  them.  A  text-book  so  contrived  as  to  make 
study  mere  play,  and  to  dispense  with  thought  and  effort,  is 
the  worst  text-book  that  can  be  made,  and  the  surest  to  be, 
in  the  end,  a  dull  one.  The  great  source  of  literary  enjoy- 
ment, which  is  the  successful  exercise  of  intellectual  power, 
is,  by  such  a  mode  of  presenting  a  subject,  cut  off.  Secure, 
therefore,  severe  study.  Let  the  pupil  sec  that  you  are  aim- 
ing to  secure  it,  and  that  the  pleasure  which  you  expect  that 
they  will  receive  is  that  of  firmly  and  patiently  encountering 
and  overcoming  difficulty ;  of  penetrating,  by  steady  and  per- 
severing effort,  into  regions  from  which  the  idle  and  the  in- 
efficient are  debarred,  and  that  it  is  your  province  to  lead 
them  forward,  not  to  carry  them.  They  will  soon  under- 
stand this,  and  like  it. 

Never  underrate  the  difficulties  which  your  pupils  will  have 
to  encounter,  or  try  to  persuade  them  that  what  you  assign 
is  easy.  Doing  easy  things  is  generally  dull  work,  and  it  is 
especially  discouraging  and  disheartening  for  a  pupil  to  spend 
his  strength  in  doing  what  is  really  difficult  for  him  when 
his  instructor,  by  calling  his  work  easy,  gives  him  no  credit 
for  what  may  have  been  severe  and  protracted  labor.  If  a 
thing  is  really  hard  for  the  pupil,  his  teacher  ought  to  know 
it  and  admit  it.  The  child  then  feels  that  he  has  some  sym- 
pathy. 

It  is  astonishing  how  great  an  influence  may  be  exerted 
over  a  child  by  his  simply  knowing  that  his  efforts  are  ob- 
served and  appreciated.  You  pass  a  boy  in  the  street  wheel- 
ing a  heavy  load  in  a  barrow ;  now  simply  stop  to  look  at 
him,  with  a  countenance  which  says,  "That  is  a  heavy  load; 
I  should  not  think  that  boy  could  wheel  it ;"  and  how  quick 
will  your  look  give  fresh  strength  and  vigor  to  his  efforts. 
On  the  other  hand,  when,  in  such  a  case,  the  boy  is  faltering 
under  his  load,  try  the  effect  of  telling  him,  "Why,  that  is 
not  heavy ;  you  can  wheel  it  easily  enough  ;  trundle  it  along." 
The  poor  boy  will  drop  his  load,  disheartened  and  discour- 


INSTRUCTION".  101 

aged,  and  sit  down  upon  it  in  despair.  It  is  so  in  respect  to 
the  action  of  the  young  in  all  cases.  They  are  animated  and 
incited  by  being  told  in  the  right  way  that  they  have  some- 
thing difficult  to  do.  A  boy  is  performing  some  service  for 
you.  He  is  watering  your  horse,  perhaps,  at  a  well  by  the 
road-side  as  you  are  traveling.  Say  to  him,  "  Hold  up  the 
pail  high,  so  that  the  horso  can  drink  ;  it  is  not  heavy."  lie 


will  be  discouraged,  and  will  be  ready  to  set  the  pail  down. 
Say  to  him,  on  the  other  hand,  "  I  had  better  dismount  my- 
self. I  don't  think  you  can  hold  the  pail  up.  It  is  very 
heavy ;"  and  his  eye  will  brighten  up  at  once.  "  Oh  no,  sir," 
he  will  reply,  "  I  can  hold  it  very  easily."  Hence,  even  if 
the  work  you  arc  assigning  to  a  class  is  easy,  do  not  tell  them 
so  unless  you  wish  to  destroy  all  their  spirit  and  interest  in 
doing  it ;  and  if  you  wish  to  excite  their  spirit  and  interest, 
make  your  work  difficult,  and  let  them  see  that  you  know  it 
is  so ;  not  so  difficult  as  to  tax  their  powers  too  heavily, 
but  enough  so  to  require  a  vigoi'ous  and  persevering  effort. 
Let  them  distinctly  understand,  too,  that  you  know  it  is  dif- 
ficult, that  you  mean  to  make  it  so,  but  that  they  have  your 
sympathy  and  encouragement  in  the  efforts  which  it  calls 
them  to  make. 

You  may  satisfy  yourself  that  human  nature  is,  in  this  re- 
spect, what  I  have  described  by  some  such  experiment  as  the 


102  THE   TEACHER. 

following.  Select  two  classes  not  very  familiar  with  element- 
ary arithmetic,  and  offer  to  each  of  them  the  following  ex- 
ample in  addition : 

12345G789 
2345G7891 
345G78912 
etc.,  etc. 

The  numhers  may  be  continued,  according  to  the  obvious 
law  regulating  the  above,  until  each  one  of  the  nine  digits 
has  commenced  the  line.  Or,  if  you  choose  Multiplication, 
let  the  example  be  this  : 

Multiply  12345G789 
by  12345G789 

Now,  when  you  bring  the  example  to  one  of  the  classes, 
address  the  pupils  as  follows : 

"  I  have  contrived  for  you  a  very  difficult  sum.  It  is  the 
most  difficult  one  that  can  be  made  with  the  number  of  fig- 
ures contained  in  it,  and  I  do  not  think  that  any  of  you  can 
do  it,  but  you  may  try.  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if  every  an- 
swer should  contain  mistakes." 

To  the  other  class  say  as  follows : 

"  I  have  prepared  an  example  for  you,  which  I  wish  you 
to  be  very  careful  to  perform  correctly.  It  is  a  little  longer 
than  those  you  have  had  heretofore,  but  it  is  to  be  performed 
upon  the  same  principles,  and  you  can  all  do  it  correctly,  if 
you  really  try." 

Now  under  such  circumstances  the  first  class  will  go  to 
their  seats  with  ardor  and  alacrity,  determined  to  show  you 
that  they  can  do  work,  even  if  it  is  difficult ;  and  if  they  suc- 
ceed, they  come  to  the  class  the  next  day  with  pride  and 
pleasure.  They  have  accomplished  something  which  you  ad- 
mit it  was  not  easy  to  accomplish.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
second  class  will  go  to  their  seats  with  murmuring  looks  and 


INSTRUCTION.  103 

words,  and  with  a  hearty  dislike  of  the  task  you  have  assign- 
ed them.  They  know  that  they  have  something  to  do,  which, 
however  easy  it  may  be  to  the  teacher,  is  really  difficult  for 
them ;  and  they  have  to  be  perplexed  and  wearied  with  the 
work,  without  having,  at  last,  even  the  little  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  the  teacher  appreciates  the  difficulties  with 
which  they  had  to  contend. 

2.  "We  now  come  to  consider  the  subject  of  rendering  as- 
sistance to  the  pupil,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  and 
delicate  parts  of  a  teacher's  work.  The  great  difference 
which  exists  among  teachers  in  regard  to  the  skill  they  pos- 
sess in  this  part  of  their  duty,  is  so  striking  that  it  is  very 
often  noticed  by  others ;  and  perhaps  skill  here  is  of  more 
avail  in  deciding  the  question  of  success  or  failure  than  any 
thing  besides.  The  first  great  principle  is,  however,  simple 
and  effectual. 

(1.)  Divide  and  subdivide  a  difficult  process,  until  your  steps  are 
so  short  that  the  pupil  can  cosily  take  them. 

Most  teachers  forget  the  difference  between  the  pupil's  ca- 
pacity and  their  own,  and  they  pass  rapidly  forward,  through 
a  difficult  train  of  thought,  in  their  own  ordinary  gait,  their 
unfortunate  followers  vainly  trying  to  keep  up  with  them. 
The  case  is  precisely  analogous  to  that  of  the  father,  who 
walks  with  the  step  of  a  man,  while  his  little  son  is  by  his 
side,  wearying  and  exhausting  himself  with  fruitless  efforts 
to  reach  his  feet  as  far,  and  to  move  them  as  rapidly  as  a 
full-grown  man. 

But  to  show  what  I  mean  by  subdividing  a  difficult  pro- 
cess so  as  to  make  each  step  simple,  I  will  take  a  case  which 
may  serve  as  an  example.  I  Avill  suppose  that  the  teacher 
of  a  common  school  undertakes  to  show  his  boys,  who,  AVC 
will  suppose,  are  acquainted  with  nothing  but  elementary 
arithmetic,  how  longitude  is  determined  by  means  of  the 
eclipses  of  Jupiter's  satellites ;  not  a  very  simple  question, 
but  still  one  which,  like  all  others,  may  be,  merely  by  the 


104  THE   TEACHER. 

power  of  the  subdivision  alluded  to,  easily  explained.  I  will 
suppose  that  the  subject  has  come  up  at  a  general  exercise ; 
perhaps  the  question  was  asked  in  writing  by  one  of  the  older 
boys.  I  will  present  the  explanation  chiefly  in  the  form  of 
question  and  answer,  that  it  may  be  seen  that  the  steps  are 
so  short  that  the  boys  may  take  them  themselves. 

"  Which  way,"  asks  the  teacher,  "  arc  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains from  us?" 

"  West,"  answer  two  or  three  of  the  boys. 

In  such  cases  as  this,  it  is  very  desirable  that  the  answers 
should  be  general,  so  that  throughout  the  school  there  should 
be  a  spirited  interest  in  the  questions  and  replies.  This  will 
never  be  the  case  if  a  small  number  of  the  boys  only  take  part 
in  the  answers,  and  many  teachers  complain  that  when  they 
try  this  experiment  they  can  seldom  induce  many  of  the  pu- 
pils to  take  a  part. 

The  reason  ordinarily  is  that  they  say  that  'any  of  the 
boys  may  answer  instead  of  that  all  of  them  may.  The 
boys  do  not  get  the  idea  that  it  is  wished  that  a  universal 
reply  should  come  from  all  parts  of  the  room,  in  which  every 
one's  voice  should  be  heard.  If  the  answers  were  feeble  in 
the  instance  we  arc  supposing,  the  teacher  would  perhaps 

say, 

"I  only  heard  one  or  two  answers;  do  not  more  of  you 
know  where  the  Rocky  Mountains  are?  Will  you  all  think 
and  answer  together  ?  Which  way  are  they  from  us  ?" 

"West,"  answer  a  large  number  of  boys. 

"You  do  not  answer  fully  enough  yet;  I  do  not  think 
more  than  forty  answered,  and  there  are  about  sixty  here. 
I  should  like  to  have  every  one  in  the  room  answer,  and  all 
precisely  together." 

He  then  repeats  the  question,  and  obtains  a  full  response. 
A  similar  effort  will  always  succeed. 

"Now  does  the  sun,  in  going  round  the  earth,  pass  over 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  over  us,  first?'' 


INSTRUCTION.  105 

To  tliis  question  the  teacher  hears  a  confused  answer. 
Some  do  not  reply;  some  say,  "Over  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains;" others,  "Over  us;"  and  others  still,  "The  sun  docs 
not  move  at  all."  • 

"It  is  true  that  the  sun,  strictly  speaking,  does  not  move; 
the  earth  turns  round,  presenting  the  various  countries  in 
succession  to  the  sun,  but  the  effect  is  precisely  the  same  as 
it  would  be  if  the  sun  moved,  and,  accordingly,  I  use  that 
language.  Now  how  long  docs  it  take  the  sun  to  pass  round 
the  earth1?" 

"  Twenty-four  hours." 

"Docs  he  go  toward  the  west  or  toward  the  east  from 
us?" 

"  Toward  the  west." 

But  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  replies ;  the  questions 
alone  will  be  sufficient.  The  reader  will  observe  that  they 
inevitably  lead  the  pupil,  by  short  and  simple  steps,  to  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  point  to  be  explained. 

"Will  the  sun  go  toward  or  from  the  Rocky  Mountains 
after  leaving  us  ?" 

"  How  long  did  you  say  it  takes  the  sun  to  go  round  the 
globe  and  come  to  us  again?" 

"  How  long  to  go  half  round  ?"     "  Quarter  round  ?" 

"  How  long  will  it  take  him  to  go  to  the  Kocky  Mount- 
ains'?" 

No  answer. 

"You  can  not  tell.  It  would  depend  upon  the  distance. 
Suppose,  then,  the  Rocky  Mountains  were  half  round  the 
globe,  how  long  would  it  take  the  sun  to  go  to  them1?" 
"  Suppose  they  were  quarter  round  ?" 

"  The  whole  distance  is  divided  into  portions  called  de- 
grees— 360  in  all.  How  many  will  the  sun  pass  in  going 
half  round  ?"  "  In  going  quarter  round  ?" 

"  Ninety  degrees,  then,  make  one  quarter  of  the  circum- 
ference of  the  globe.  This,  you  have  already  said,  will  take 

E2 


10G  THE   TEACHER. 

six  hours.     In  one  hour,  then,  how  many  degrees  will  the 
sun  pass  over'/" 

Perhaps  no  answer.  If  so,  the  teacher  will  subdivide  the 
question  on  the  principle  we  are  explaining,  so  as  to  make 
the  steps  such  that  the  pupils  can  take  them. 

"  How  many  degrees  will  the  sun  pass  over  in  three  hours  ?" 

"  Forty-five." 

"  Plow  large  a  part  of  that,  then,  will  he  pass  in  ono 
hour?" 

"  One  third  of  it." 

"And  what  is  one  third  of  forty-five  ?" 

The  boys  would  readily  answer  fifteen,  and  the  teacher 
would  then  dwell  for  a  moment  on  the  general  truth  thus  de- 
duced, that  the  sun,  in  passing  round  the  earth,  passes  over 
fifteen  degrees  cveiy  hour. 

"  Suppose,  then,  it  takes  the  sun  one  hour  to  go  from  us 
to  the  Kiver  Mississippi,  how  many  degrees  west  of  us  would 
the  river  be  ?" 

'  Having  thus  familiarized  the  pupils  to  the  fact  that  the 
motion  of  the  sun  is  a  proper  measure  of  the  difference  of 
longitude  between  two  places,  the  teacher  must  dismiss  the 
subject  for  a  day,  and  when  the  next  opportunity  of  bring- 
ing it  forward  occurs,  he  would,  perhaps,  take  up  the  subject 
of  the  sun's  motion  as  a  measure  of  time. 

"  Is  the  sun  ever  exactly  over  our  heads  ?" 

"  Is  he  ever  exactly  south  of  us  ?" 

"When  he  is  exactly  south  of  us,  or,  in  other  words,  ex- 
actly opposite  to  us  in  his  course  round  the  earth,  he  is  said 
to  be  in  our  meridian ;  for  the  word  meridian  means  a  line 
drawn  exactly  north  or  south  from  any  place." 

There  is  no  limit  to  the  simplicity  which  may  be  impart- 
ed, even  to  the  most  difficult  subjects,  by  subdividing  the 
steps.  This  point,  for  instance,  the  meaning  of  meridian, 
may  be  the  subject,  if  it  were  necessary,  of  many  questions, 
which  would  render  it  simple  to  the  youngest  child.  The 


INSTRUCTION.  107 

teacher  may  point  to  the  various  articles  in  the  room,  or 
buildings,  or  other  objects  without,  and  ask  if  they  are  or 
are  not  in  his  meridian.  But  to  proceed : 

"  When  the  sun  is  exactly  opposite  to  us,  in  the  south,  at 
the  highest  point  to  which  he  rises,  what  o'clock  is  it  ?" 

"  When  the  sun  is  exactly  opposite  to  us,  can  he  be  oppo- 
site to  the  Rocky  Mountains  ?" 

"  Does  he  get  opposite  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  before  or 
after  he  is  opposite  to  us?" 

"When  he  is  opposite  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  what 
o'clock  is  it  there  ?" 

"Is  it  twelve  o'clock  here,  then,  before  or  after  it  is  twelve 
o'clock  there?" 

"Suppose  the  River  Mississippi  is  fifteen  degrees  from  us, 
how  long  is  it  twelve  o'clock  here  before  it  is  twelve  o'clock 
there  ?" 

"  When  it  is  twelve  o'clock  here,  then,  what  time  will  it  be 
there?" 

Some  will  probably  answer  "one,"  and  some  "eleven." 
If  so,  the  step  is  too  long,  and  may  be  subdivided  thus : 

"When  it  is  noon  here,  is  the  sun  going  toward  the  Mis- 
sissippi, or  has  he  passed  it?" 

"Then  has  noon  gone  by  at  that  river,  or  has  it  not  yet 
come  ?"• 

"  Then  will  it  be  one  hour  before  or  one  hour  after  noon?" 

"  Then  will  it  be  eleven  or  one  ?" 

Such  minuteness  and  simplicity  would,  in  ordinary  cases, 
not  be  necessary.  I  go  into  it  here  merely  to  show  how,  by 
simply  subdividing  the  steps,  a  subject  ordinarily  perplexing 
may  be  made  plain.  The  reader  will  observe  that  in  the 
above  there  are  no  explanations  by  the  teacher — there  arc 
not  even  leading  questions ;  that  is,  there  arc  no  questions 
the  form  of  which  suggests  the  answers  desired.  The  pupil 
goes  on  from  step  to  step  simply  because  he  has  but  one  short 
step  to  take  at  a  time. 


108  THE    TEACI1EK. 

"Can  it  be  noon,  then,"  continues  the  teacher,  "here  and 
at  a  place  fifteen  degrees  west  of  us  at  the  same  time  f 

"  Can  it  be  noon  here  and  at  a  place  ten  miles  west  of  us 
at  the  same  time  ?" 

It  is  unnecessary  to  continue  the  illustration,  for  it  will  be 
very  evident  to  every  reader  that,  by  going  forward  in  this 
way,  the  whole  subject  may  be  laid  out  before  the  pupils  so 
that  they  shall  perfectly  understand  it.  They  can,  by  a  series 
of  questions  like  the  above,  be  led  to  see,  by  their  own  rea- 
soning, that  time,  as  denoted  by  the  clock,  must  differ  in  every 
two  places  not  upon  the  same  meridian,  and  that  the  differ- 
ence must  be  exactly  proportional  to  the  difference  of  longi- 
tude. So  that  a  watch  which  is  right  in  one  place  can  not, 
strictly  speaking,  be  right  in  any  other  place  cast  or  west  of 
the  first ;  and  that,  if  the  time  of  day  at  two  places  can  be 
compared,  cither  by  taking  a  chronometer  from  one  to  an- 
other, or  by  observing  some  celestial  phenomenon,  like  the 
eclipses  of  Jupiter's  satellites,  and  ascertaining  precisely  the 
time  of  their  occurrence,  according  to  the  reckoning  at  both, 
the  distance  east  or  west  by  degrees  may  be  determined.  The 
reader  will  observe,  too,  that  the  method  by  which  this  ex- 
planation is  made  is  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  principle 
I  am  illustrating,  which  is  by  simply  dividing  the  process  into 
short  stcj^s.  There  is  no  ingenious  reasoning  on  the  part  of 
the  teacher,  no  happy  illustrations,  no  apparatus,  no  dia- 
grams. It  is  a  pure  process  of  mathematical  reasoning,  made 
clear  and  easy  by  simple  analysis. 

In  applying  this  method,  however,  the  teacher  should  be 
very  careful  not  to  subdivide  too  much.  It  is  best  that  the 
pupils  should  walk  as  fast  as  they  can.  The  object  of  the 
teacher  should  be  to  smooth  the  path  not  much  more  than 
barely  enough  to  enable  the  pupil  to  go  on.  lie  should  not 
endeavor  to  make  it  very  easy. 

(2.)  Truths  must  not  only  be  taught  to  the  pupils,  but 
they  must  V>c  fixed,  and  made  familiar.  This  is  a  point  which 
poems  to  be  vcrv  jrenerallv  overlooked. 


INSTRUCTION.  109 

"  Can  you  say  the  Multiplication  Table?"  said  a  teacher 
to  a  boy  who  was  standing  before  him  in  his  class. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  "Well,  I  should  like  to  have  you  say  the  line  beginning 
nine  times  one." 

The  boy  repeated  it  slowly,  but  correctly. 

"  Now  I  should  like  to  have  you  try  again,  and  I  will,  at 
the  same  time,  say  another  line,  to  see  if  I  can  put  you  out." 

The  boy  looked  surprised.  The  idea  of  his  teacher's  try- 
ing to  perplex  and  embarrass  him  was  entirely  new. 

"You  must  not  be  afraid,"  said  the  teacher.  "You  will 
undoubtedly  not  succeed  in  getting  through,  but  you  will  not 
be  to  blame  for  the  failure.  I  only  try  it  as  a  sort  of  intel- 
lectual experiment." 

The  boy  accordingly  began  again,  but  was  soon  complete- 
ly confused  by  the  teacher's  accompaniment.  He  stopped  in 
the  middle  of  his  line,  saying, 

"I  could  say  it,  only  you  put  me  out." 

"  Well,  now  tiy  to  say  the  Alphabet,  and  let  me  see  if  I 
can  put  you  out  there." 

As  might  have  been  expected,  the  teacher  failed.  The  boy 
went  regularly,  onward  to  the  end. 

"You  sec,  now,"  said  the  teacher  to  the  class  who  had  wit- 
nessed the  experiment,  "  that  this  boy  knows  his  Alphabet 
in  a  different  sense  from  that  in  which  he  knows  his  Multi- 
plicatiort  Table.  In  the  latter,  his  knowledge  is  only  imper- 
fectly his  own;  he  can  make  use  of  it  only  under  favorable 
circumstances.  In  the  former  it  is  entirely  his  own  ;  circum- 
stances have  no  control  over  him." 

A  child  has  a  lesson  in  Latin  Grammar  to  recite.  She 
hesitates  and  stammers,  miscalls  the  cases,  and  then  corrects 
herself,  and,  if  she  gets  through  at  last,  she  considers  herself 
as  having  recited  well,  and  very  many  teachers  would  con- 
sider it  well  too.  If  she  hesitates  a  little  longer  than  usual 
in  trying  to  summon  to  her  recollection  a  particular  word, 


110  THE    TEACHER. 

she  says,  perhaps,  "Don't  tell  me,"  and  if  she  happens  at 
last  to  guess  right,  she  takes  her  book  with  a  countenance 
beaming  with  satisfaction. 

"  Suppose  you  had  the  care  of  an  infant  school,"  might  the 
instructor  say  to  such  a  scholar,  "  and  were  endeavoring  to 
teach  a  little  child  to  count,  and  she  should  recite  her  lesson 
to  you  in  this  way,  '  One,  two,  four — no,  three — one,  two, 

three stop,  don't  tell  me — five — no,  four — four — live — 

I  shall  think  in  a  minute — six — is  that  right  ?  five, 

six,'  &c.  Should  you  call  that  reciting  well?" 

Nothing  is  more  common  than  for  pupils  to  say,  when  they 
fail  of  reciting  their  lesson,  that  they  could  say  it  at  their 
seats,  but  that  they  can  not  now  say  it  before  the  class. 
When  such  a  thing  is  said  for  the  first  time  it  should  not  be 
severely  reproved,  because  nine  children  in  ten  honestly  think 
that  if  the  lesson  were  learned  so  that  it  could  be  recited  any 
where,  their  duty  is  discharged.  But  it  should  be  kindly, 
though  distinctly  explained  to  them,  that  in  the  business  of 
life  they  must  have  their  knowledge  so  much  at  command 
that  they  can  use  it  at  all  times  and  in  all  circumstances,  or 
it  will  do  them  little  good. 

One  of  the  most  common  cases  of  difficulty  in  pursuing 
mathematical  studies,  or  studies  of  any  land  where  the  suc- 
ceeding lessons  depend  upon  those  which  precede,  is  the  fact 
that  the  pupil,  though  he  may  understand  what  precedes,  is 
not  familiar  with  it.  This  is  very  strikingly  the  case  with 
Geometry.  The  class  study  the  definitions,  and  the  teacher 
supposes  they  fully  understand  them  ;  in  fact,  they  do  wider- 
stand  them,  but  the  name  and  the  thing  are  so  feebly  connect- 
ed in  their  minds  that  a  direct  effort  and  a  short  pause  arc 
necessary  to  recall  the  idea  when  they  hear  or  see  the  word. 
When  they  come  on,  therefore,  to  the  demonstrations,  which 
in  themselves  would  be  difficult  enough,  they  have  double 
duty  to  perform.  The  words  used  do  not  readily  suggest  the 
idea,  and  the  connection  of  the  ideas  requires  careful  f  Jn:1.--. 


INSTRUCTION.  Ill 

Under  this  double  burden  many  a  young  geometrician  sinks 
discouraged. 

A  class  should  go  on  slowly,  and  dwell  on  details  so  long 
as  to  fix  firmly  and  make  perfectly  familiar  whatever  they 
undertake  to  learn.  In  this  manner  the  knowledge  they  ac- 
quire will  become  their  own.  It  will  be  incorporated,  as  it 
were,  into  their  very  minds,  and  they  can  not  afterward  be 
deprived  of  it. 

The  exercises  which  have  for  their  object  this  rendering 
familiar  what  has  been  learned  may  be  so  varied  as  to  inter- 
est the  pupil  very  much,  instead  of  being  tiresome,  as  it  might 
at  first  be  supposed. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  a  teacher  has  explained  to  a  large 
class  in  grammar  the  difference  between  an  adjective  and  an 
adverb ;  if  he  leave  it  here,  in  a  fortnight  one  half  of  the  pu- 
pils would  have  forgotten  the  distinction,  but  by  dwelling 
upon  it  a  few  lessons  he  may  fix  it  forever.  The  first  les- 
son might  be  to  require  the  pupils  to  write  twenty  short  sen- 
tences containing  only  adjectives.  The  second  to  write  twen- 
ty containing  only  adverbs.  The  third  to  write  sentences  in 
two  forms,  one  containing  the  adjective,  and  the  other  ex- 
pressing the  same  idea  by  means  of  the  adverb,  arranging 
them  in  two  columns,  thus  : 

He  writes  well.  His  writing  is  good. 

Again,  they  may  make  out  a  list  of  adjectives,  with  the  ad- 
verbs derived  from  each  in  another  column.  Then  they  may 
classify  adverbs  on  the  principle  of  their  meaning,  or  accord- 
ing to  their  termination.  The  exercise  may  be  infinitely 
varied,  and  yet  the  object  of  the  whole  may  be  to  make  per' 
fcctly  familiar,  and  to  fix  forever  in  the  mind  the  distinc- 
tion explained. 

These  two  points  seem  to  me  to  be  fundamental,  so  far  as 
assisting  pupils  through  the  difficulties  which  lie  in  their  way 
is  concerned.  Diminish  the  difficulties  as  far  as  is  necessary 


112  THE   TEACIIEK. 

by  shortening  and  simplifying  the  steps,  and  make  thorough 
work  as  you  go  on.  These  principles,  carried  steadily  into 
practice,  will  be  effectual  in  leading  any  mind  through  any 
difficulties  which  may  occur.  And  though  they  can  not, 
perhaps,  be  fully  applied  to  every  mind  in  a  large  school,  yet 
they  can  be  so  far  acted  upon  in  reference  to  the  whole  mass 
as  to  accomplish  the  object  for  a  very  large  majority. 

3.  General  cautions.  A  few  miscellanedus  suggestions, 
which  we  shall  include  under  this  head,  will  conclude  this 
chapter. 

(1.)  Never  do  any  thing  for  a  scholar,  but  teach  him  to 
do  it  for  himself.  How  many  cases  occur  in  the  schools  of 
our  country  where  the  boy  brings  his  slate  to  the  teacher, 
saying  he  can  not  do  a  certain  sum.  The  teacher  takes  the 
slate  and  pencil,  performs  the  work  in  silence,  brings  the  re- 
sult, and  returns  the  slate  to  the  hands  of  his  pupil,  who 
walks  off  to  his  scat,  and  goes  to  work  on  the  next  example, 
perfectly  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  he  is  passing 
on.  A  man  who  has  not  done  this  a  hundred  times  himself 
will  hardly  believe  it  possible  that  such  a  practice  can  pre- 
vail, it  is  so  evidently  a  mere  waste  of  time  both  for  master 
and  scholar. 

(2.)  Never  get  out  of  patience  with  dullness.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  say,  never  get  out  of  patience  with  any  thing.  That 
would,  perhaps,  be  the  wisest  rule.  But,  above  all  things, 
remember  that  dullness  and  stupidity — and  you  will  certain- 
ly find  them  in  every  school — are  the  very  last  things  to  get 
out  of  patience  with.  If  the  Creator  has  so  formed  the  mind 
of  a  boy  that  he  must  go  through  life  slowly  and  with  diffi- 
culty, impeded  by  obstructions  which  others  do  not  feel,  and 
depressed  by  discouragements  which  others  never  know,  his 
lot  is  surely  hard  enough  without  having  you  to  add  to  it 
the  trials  and  suffering  which  sarcasm  and  reproach  from 
you  can  heap  upon  him.  Look  over  your  school-room,  there- 
fore, and  wherever  you  find  one  whom  you  perceive  the  Cre- 


INSTRUCTION.  113 

ator  to  have  endued  with  less  intellectual  power  than  other?, 
fix  your  eye  upon  him  with  an  expression  of  kindness  and 
sympathy.  Such  a  boy  will  have  suffering  enough  from  the 
selfish  tyranny  of  his  companions;  he  ought  to  find  in  you  n 
protector  and  friend.  One  of  the  greatest  enjoyments  which 
a  teacher's  life  affords  is  the  interest  of  seeking  out  such  a 
one,  bowed  down  with  burdens  of  depression  and  discourage- 
ment, unaccustomed  to  sympathy  and  kindness,  and  expect- 
ing nothing  for  the  future  but  a  weary  continuation  of  the 
cheerless  toils  which  have  imbittcred  the  past ;  and  the  pleas- 
ure of  taking  off  the  burden,  of  surprising  the  timid,  disheart- 
ened sufferer  by  kind  words  and  cheering  looks,  and  of  see- 
ing in  his  countenance  the  expression  of  ease  and  even  of 
happiness  gradually  returning. 

(3.)  The  teacher  should  be  interested  in  all  his  scholars, 
and  aim  equally  to  secure  the  progress  of  all.  Let  there  be 
no  neglected  ones  in  the  school-room.  We  should  always 
remember  that,  however  unpleasant  in  countenance  and  man- 
ners that  bashful  boy  in  the  corner  may  be,  or  however  re- 
pulsive in  appearance,  or  unhappy  in  disposition,  that  girl, 
seeming  to  be  interested  in  nobody,  and  nobody  appearing 
interested  in  her,  they  still  have,  each  of  them,  a  mother,  who 
loves  her  own  child,  and  takes  a  deep  and  constant  interest 
in  its  history.  Those  mothers  have  a  right,  too,  that  their 
children  should  receive  their  full  share  of  attention  in  a  school 
which  has  been  established  for  the  common  and  equal  bene- 
fit of  all. 

(4.)  Do  not  hope  or  attempt  to  make  all  your  pupils  alike. 
Providence  has  determined  that  human  minds  should  differ 
from  each  other  for  the  very  purpose  of  giving  variety  and 
interest  to  this  busy  scene  of  life.  Now  if  it  were  possible 
for  a  teacher  so  to  plan  his  operations  as  to  send  his  pupils 
forth  upon  the  community  formed  on  the  same  model,  as  if 
they  were  made  by  machinery,  he  would  do  so  much  toward 
spoiling  one  of  the  wisest  of  the  plans  which  the  Almighty 


114  THE   TEACIIEK. 

has  formed  for  making  this  world  a  happy  scene.  Let  it  be 
the  teacher's  aim  to  co-operate  with,  not  vainly  to  attempt 
to  thwart,  the  designs  of  Providence.  We  should  bring  out 
those  .powers  with  which  the  Creator  has  endued  the  minds 
placed  under  our  control.  We  must  open  our  garden  to  such 
influences  as  shall  bring  forward  all  the  plants,  each  in  a  way 
corresponding  to  its  own  nature.  It  is  impossible  if  it  were 
wise,  and  it  would  be  foolish  if  it  were  possible,  to  stimulate, 
by  artificial  means,  the  rose,  in  hope  of  its  reaching  the  size 
and  magnitude  of  the  apple-tree,  or  to  try  to  cultivate  the  fig 
and  the  orange  where  wheat  only  will  grow.  No ;  it  should 
be  the  teacher's  main  design  to  shelter  his  pupils  from  every 
deleterious  influence,  and  to  bring  every  thing  to  bear  upon 
the  community  of  minds  before  him  which  will  encourage  in 
each  one  the  development  of  its  own  native  powers.  For  the 
rest,  he  must  remember  that  his  province  is  to  cultivate,  not 
to  create. 

Error  on  this  point  is  vei-y  common.  Many  teachers,  even 
among  those  who  have  taken  high  rank  through  the  success 
with  which  they  have  labored  in  the  field,  have  wasted  much 
time  in  attempting  to  do  what  never  can  be  done,  to  form 
the  character  of  those  brought  under  their  influence  after  a 
certain  uniform  model,  which  they  have  conceived  as  the 
standard  of  excellence.  Their  pupils  must  write  just  such  a 
hand,  they  must  compose  in  just  such  a  style,  they  must  be 
similar  in  sentiment  and  feeling,  and  their  manners  must  be 
formed  according  to  a  fixed  and  uniform  model ;  and  when, 
in  such  a  case,  a- pupil  comes  under  their  charge  whom  Prov- 
idence has  designed  to  be  entirely  different  from  the  beau 
ideal  adopted  as  the  standard,  more  time,  and  pain?,  and 
unxious  solicitude  is  wasted  in  vain  attempts  to  produce  the 
desired  conformity  than  half  the  school  require  beside. 

(5.)  Do  not  allow  the  faults  or  obliquities  of  character,  or 
the  intellectual  or  moral  wants  of  any  individual  of  your  pu- 
pils to  engross  a,  disproportionate  share  of  your  time.  I  have 


IMSTKL'CTION.  115 

already  said  that  those  who  are  peculiarly  in  need  of  sym- 
pathy or  help  should  receive  the  special  attention  they  seem 
to  require  ;  what  I  mean  to  say  now  is,  do  not  carry  this  to 
an  extreme.  When  a  parent  sends  you  a  pupil  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  neglect  or  mismanagement  at  home,  has  become 
wild  and  ungovernable,  and  full  of  all  sorts  of  wickedness,  he 
has  no  right  to  expert  that  you  shall  turn  your  attention 
away  from  the  wide  field  which,  in  your  whole  school-room, 
lies  before  you,  to  spend  your  time,  and  exhaust  your  spirits 
and  strength  in  endeavoring  to  repair  the  injuries  which  his 
own  neglect  has  occasioned.  When  you  open  a  school,  you 
do  not  engage,  either  openly  or  tacitly,  to  make  every  pupil 
who  may  be  sent  to  you  a  learned  or  a  virtuous  man.  You 
do  engage  to  give  them  all  faithful  instruction,  and  to  bestow 
upon  each  such  a  degree  of  attention  as  is  consistent  with  the 
claims  of  the  rest.  But  it  is  both  unwise  and  unjust  to  neg- 
lect the  many  trees  in  your  nursery  which,  by  ordinary  at- 
tention, may  be  made  to  grow  straight  and  tall,  and  to  bear 
good  fruit,  that  3-011  may  waste  your  labor  upon  a  crooked 
stick,  from  which  all  your  toil  can  secure  very  little  beauty 
or  fruitfulness. 

Let  no  one  now  understand  me  to  say  that  such  cases  arc 
to  be  neglected.  I  admit  the  propriety,  and,  in  fact,  have 
urged  the  duty,  of  paying  to  them  a  little  more  than  their 
due  share  of  attention.  What  I  now  condemn  is  the  prac- 
tice, of  which  all  teachers  are  in  danger,  of  devoting  such  a, 
disproportionate  and  unreasonable  degree  of  attention  to  them 
as  to  encroach  upon  their  duties  to  others.  The  school,  the 
whole  school,  is  your  field,  the  elevation  of  the  mass  in  knowl- 
edge and  virtue,  and  no  individual  instance,  cither  of  dullness 
or  precocity,  should  draw  you  away  from  its  steady  pursuit. 

(6.)  The  teacher  should  guard  against  unnecessarily  im- 
bibing those  faulty  mental  habits  to  which  his  station  and 
employment  expose  him.  Accustomed  to  command,  and  to 
hold  intercourse  with  minds  which  arc  immature  and  fecblo 


11G  THE   TEACHER. 

compared  with  our  own,  we  gradually  acquire  habits  that 
the  rough  collisions  and  the  friction  of  active  life  prevent 
from  gathering  around  other  men.  Narrow-minded  preju- 
dices and  prepossessions  are  imbibed  through  the  facility 
v/ith  which,  in  our  own  little  community,  we  adopt  and 
maintain  opinions.  A  too  strong  confidence  in  our  own 
views  on  every  subject  almost  inevitably  comes  from  never 
hearing  our  opinions  contradicted  or  called  in  question,  and 
we  express  those  opinions  in  o,  tone  of  authority,  and  even 
sometimes  of  arrogance,  which  we  acquire  in  the  school -room, 
for  there,  when  we  speak,  nobody  can  reply. 

These  peculiarities  show  themselves  first,  and,  in  fact,  most 
commonly,  in  the  school-room ;  and  the  opinions  thus  form- 
ed very  often  relate  to  the  studies  and  management  of  the 
school.  One  has  a  peculiar  mode  of  teaching  spelling,  which 
is  successful  almost  entirely  through  the  magic  influence  of 
his  interest  in  it,  and  he  thinks  no  other  mode  of  teaching 
this  branch  is  even  tolerable.  Another  must  have  all  his 
pupils  write  on  the  angular  system,  or  the  anti-angular  sys- 
tem, and  he  enters  with  all  the  zeal  into  a  controversy  on 
the  subject,  as  if  the  destiny  of  the  whole  rising  generation 
depended  upon  its  decision.  Tell  him  that  all  that  is  of  any 
consequence  in  any  handwriting  is  that  it  should  be  legible, 
rapid,  and  uniform,  and  that,  for  the  rest,  it  would  be  better 
that  every  human  being  should  write  a  different  hand,  and 
he  looks  upon  you  with  astonishment,  wondering  that  you 
can  not  see  the  vital  importance  of  the  question  whether  the 
vertex  of  an  o  should  be  pointed  or  round.  So  in  every  thing. 
He  has  his  way  in  every  minute  particular — a  way  from  which 
he  can  not  deviate,  and  to  which  he  wishes  every  one  else  to 
conform. 

This  set,  formal  mannerism  is  entirely  inconsistent  with 
that  commanding  intellectual  influence  which  the  teacher 
should  exert  in  the  administration  of  his  school.  lie  should 
work  with  what  an  artist  calls  boldness  and  freedom  of  touch. 


INSTRUCTION.  117 

Activity  and  enterprise  of  mind  should  characterize  all  his 
measures  if  he  wishes  to  make  bold,  original,  and  efficient 
men. 

(7.)  Assume  no  false  appearances  in  your  school  either  as 
to  knowledge  or  character.  Perhaps  it  may  justly  be  said 
to  be  the  common  practice  of  teachers  in  this  country  to  af- 
fect a  dignity  of  deportment  in  the  presence  of  their  pupils 
which  in  other  cases  is  laid  aside,  and  to  pretend  to  superi- 
ority in  knowledge  and  an  infallibility  of  judgment  which  no 
sensible  man  would  claim  before  other  sensible  men,  but 
which  an  absurd  fashion  seems  to  require  of  the  teacher.  It 
can,  however,  scarcely  be  said  to  be  a  fashion,  for  the  tempt- 
ation is  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  young  and  the  ig- 
norant, who  think  they  must  make  up  by  appearance  what 
they  want  in  reality.  Very  few  of  the  older,  and  more  ex- 
perienced, and  successful  instructors  in  our  country  fall  into 
it  at  all ;  but  some  young  beginner,  whose  knowledge  is  very 
limited,  and  who,  in  manner  and  habits,  has  only  just  ceased 
to  be  a  boy,  walks  into  his  school-room  with  a  countenance 
of  forced  gravity,  and  with  a  dignified  and  solemn  step,  which 
is  ludicrous  even  to  himself.  I  describe  accurately,  for  I  de- 
scribe from  recollection.  This  unnatural,  and  forced,  and  lu- 
dicrous dignity  cleaves  to  him  like  a  disease  through  the 
Avholc  period  of  his  duty.  In  the  presence  of  his  scholars  he 
is  always  under  restraint,  assuming  a  stiff  and  formal  dignity 
which  is  as  ridiculous  as  it  is  unnatural.  lie  is  also  obliged 
to  resort  to  arts  which  arc  certainly  not  very  honorable  to 
conceal  his  ignorance. 

A  scholar,  for  example,  brings  him  a  sum  in  arithmetic 
which  he  does  not  know  how  to  perform.  This  may  be  the 
case  with  a  most  excellent  tc.acher,  and  one  well  qualified 
for  his  business.  In  order  to  be  successful  as  a  teacher,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  understand  every  thing.  Instead,  however, 
of  saying  frankly,  "I  do  not  understand  that  example  ;  I  will 
examine  it,"  he  looks  at  it  embarrassed  and  perplexed,  not 


118  THE   TEACHER. 

knowing  how  be  shall  escape  the  exposure  of  his  ignorance. 
His  first  thought  is  to  give  some  general  directions  to  the 
pupil,  and  send  him  to  his  seat  to  make  a  new  experiment, 
hoping  that  in  some  way  or  other,  he  scarcely  knows  how, 
lie  will  get  through ;  and,  at  any  rate,  if  he  should  not,  the 
teacher  thinks  that  he  himself  at  least  gains  time  by  the 
manoeuvre,  and  he  is  glad  to  postpone  his  trouble,  though  lie 
knows  it  must  soon  return. 

All  efforts  to  conceal  ignorance,  nr.A  all  affectation  of 
knowledge  not  possessed,  are  as  unwise  as  they  arc  dishon- 
est. If  a  scholar  asks  a  question  which  you  can  not  answer, 
or  brings  you  a  difficulty  which  you  can  not  solve,  say 
frankly,  "I  do  not  know."  It  is  the  only  way  to  avoid  con- 
tinual anxiety  and  irritation,  and  the  sui'cst  means  of  secur- 
ing real  respect.  Let  the  scholars  understand  that  the  supe- 
riority of  the  teacher  docs  not  consist  in  his  infallibility,  or 
in  his  universal  acquisitions,  but  in  a  well-balanced  mind, 
where  the  boundary  between  knowledge  and  ignorance  is  dis- 
tinctly marked;  in  a  strong  desire  to  go  forward  in  mental 
improvement,  and  in  fixed  principles  of  action  and  system- 
atic habits.  You  may  even  take  up  in  school  a  study  en- 
tirely new  to  you,  and  have  it  understood  at  the  outset  that 
you  know  no  more  of  it  than  the  class  commencing,  but  that 
you  can  be  their  guide  on  account  of  the  superior  maturity 
and  discipline  of  your  powers,  and  the  comparative  case  Avith 
which  you  can  meet  and  overcome  difficulties.  This  is  the 
understanding  which  ought  always  to  exist  between  master 
and  scholars.  The  fact  that  the  teacher  does  not  know  ev- 
ery thing  can  not  long  be  concealed  if  he  tries  to  conceal  it, 
and  in  this,  as  in  cvciy  other  case,  IICXESTY  is  THE  BEST 

POUCV. 


UOIIAL   DISCIPLINE. 


119 


CHAPTEli  IV. 

MORAL   DISCIPLINE. 


NDER  the  title  which  I  have  placed  at  the  head  of  this  chap- 
ter I  intend  to  discuss  the  methods  by  which  the  teacher  is 
to  secure  a  moral  ascendency  over  his  pupils,  so  that  he  may 
lead  them  to  do  what  is  right,  and  bring  them  back  to  duty 
when  they  do  what  is  wrong.  I  shall  use,  in  what  I  have  to 
say,  a  very  plain  and  familiar  style ;  and  as  very  much  de- 
pends not  only  on  the  general  principles  by  which  the  teach- 
er is  actuated,  but  also  on  the  tone  and  manner  in  which,  in 
cases  of  discipline,  lie  addresses  his  pupils,  I  shall  describe 
particular  cases,  real  and  imaginary,  because  by  this  method 
I  can  better  illustrat.o  the  course  to  be  pursued.  I  shall  also 
present  and  illustrate  the  various  principles  which  I  consider 
important,  and  in.  the* order  in  which  they  occur  to  my  mind. 
1.  The  first  duty,  then,  of  the  teacher  when  he  enters  his 
school  is  to  beware  of  the  danger  of  making  an  unfavorable 
impression  at  first  upon  his  pupils.  Many  years  ago,  when 
I  was  a  child,  the  teacher  of  the  school  where  my  early  stud- 
ies were  performed  closed  his  connection  with  the  establish- 
ment, and  after  a  short  vacation  another  was  expected.  O.n 
the  appointed  day  the  boys  began  to  collect,  some  frtun  curi- 


120  THE    TEACHER. 

osity,  at  an  curly  hour,  and  many  speculations  were  started 
as  to  the  character  of  the  'new  instructor.  We  were  stand- 
ing near  a  table  with  our  hats  on — and  our  position,  and  the 
exact  appearance  of  the  group,  is  indelibly  fixed  on  my  mem- 
ory— when  a  small  and  youthful-looking  man  entered  the 
room,  and  walked  up  toward  us.  Supposing  him  to  be  some 
stranger,  or,  rather,  not  making  any  supposition  at  all,  we 
stood  looking  at  him  as  he  approached,  and  were  thunder- 
struck at  hearing  him  accost  us  with  a  stern  voice  and  stern- 
er brow,  "Take  off  your  hats.  Take  off  your  hats  and  go  to 
your  seats."  The  conviction  immediately  rushed  upon  our 
minds  that  this  must  be  our  new  teacher.  The  first  emotion 
was  that  of  surprise,  and  the  second  was  that  of  the  ludi- 
crous, though  I  believe  we  contrived  to  smother  the  laugh 
until  we  got  out  into  the  open  air. 

So  long  since  was  this  little  occurrence  that  I  have  entire- 
ly forgotten  the  name  of  the  teacher,  and  have  not  the  slight- 
est recollection  of  any  other  act  in  his  administration  of  the 
school.  IJut  this  recollection  of  his  first  greeting  of  his  pu- 
pils, and  the  expression  of  his  countenance  at  the  moment, 
will  go  with  me  to  the  end  of  life.  So  strong  arc  first  im- 
pressions. 

Be  careful,  then,  when  you  first  see  your  pupils,  that  you 
meet  them  with  a  smile.  I  do  not  mean  a  pretended  cordial- 
ity, which  has  no  existence  in  the  heart,  but  think  of  the  re- 
lation which  you  arc  to  sustain  to  thcni,  and  think  of  the 
very  interesting  circumstances  under  which,  for  some  months 
nt  least,  your  destinies  are  to  be  united  to  theirs,"  until  you 
can  not  help  feeling  a  strong  interest  in  them.  Shut  your 
eyes  for  a  day  or  two  to  their  faults,  if  possible,  and  take  an 
interest. in  all  their  pleasures  and  pursuits,  that  the  first  atti- 
tude in  which  you  exhibit  yourself  before  them  may  be  one 
which  shall  allure,  not  repel. 

2.  In  endeavoring  to  correct  the  faults  of  your  pupils,  do 
not,  as  many  teachers  do,  seize  only  upon  those  particular  caccs 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  121 

of  transgression  which  may  happen  to  come  under  your  no- 
tice. These  individual  instances  are  very  few,  probably,  com- 
pared with  the  whole  number  of  faults  against  which  you 
ought  to  exert  an  influence.  And  though  you  perhaps  ought 
not  to  neglect  those  which  may  accidentally  come  under  your 
notice,  yet  the  observing  and  punishing  such  cases  is  a  very 
small  part  of  your  duty. 

You  accidentally  hear,  I  will  suppose,  as  you  are  walking 
home  from  school,  two  of  your  boys  in  earnest  conversation, 
and  one  of  them  uses  profane  language.  Now  the  course  to 
be  pursued  in  such  a  case  is,  most  evidently,  not  to  call  the 
boy  to  you  the  next  day  and  punish  him,  and  there  let  the 
matter  rest.  This  would,  perhaps,  be  better  than  nothing. 
]>ut  the  chief  impression  which  it  would  make  upon  the  in- 
dividual and  upon  the  other  scholars  would  be,  "I  must  take 
care  how  I  let  the  master  hear  me  use  such  language  again." 
A  wise  teacher,  who  takes  enlarged  and  extended  views  of 
his  duty  in  regard  to  the  moral  progress  of  his  pupils,  would 
act  very  differently.  He  would  look  at  the  whole  subject. 
"  Does  this  fault,"  he  would  say  to  himself,  "  prevail  among 
my  pupils  ?  If  so,  how  extensively  ?  It  is  comparatively 
of  little  consequence  to  punish  the  particular  transgression. 
The  great  point  is  to  devise  some  plan  to  reach  the  whole 
evil,  and  to  correct  it  if  possible." 

In  one  case  where  such  a  circumstance  occurred,  the  teacher 
managed  it  most  successfully  in  the  following  manner. 

He  said  nothing  to  the  boy,  and,  Jh  fact,  the  boy  did  not 
know  that  he  was  overheard.  He  allowed  a  day  or  two  to 
elapse,  so  that  the  conversation  might  be  forgotten,  and  then 
took  an  opportunity  one  day,  after  school,  when  all  things  had 
gone  on  pleasantly,  and  the  school  was  about  to  be  closed,  to 
brirg  forward  the  whole  subject.  He  told  the  boys  that  he 
had  something  to  say  to  them  after  they  had  laid  by  their 
books  and  were  ready  to  go  home.  The  desks  were  soon 
closed,  and  every  face  in  the  room  was  turned  toward  the 

F  ' 


122  THE  TEACHER. 

master  with  a  look  of  fixed  attention.  It  was  almost  even- 
ing. The  sun  had  gone  down.  The  boys'  labors  were  over. 
Their  duties  for  the  day  were  over;  their  minds  were  at 
rest,  and  every  thing  was  favorable  for  making  a  deep  and 
permanent  impression. 

"  A  few  days  ago,"  says  the  teacher,  when  all  was  still,  "  I 
accidentally  overheard  some  conversation  between  tAvo  of  the 
boys  of  this  school,  and  one  of  them  swore." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  Perhaps  you  expect  that  I  am  now  going  to  call  the  boy 
out  and  punish  him.  Is  that  what  I  ought  to  do?" 

There  was  no  answer. 

"  I  think  a  boy  who  uses  bad  language  of  any  kind  docs 
what  he  knows  is  wrong.  He  breaks  God's  commands.  lie 
docs  what  he  knows  would  be  displeasing  to  his  parents,  and 
he  sets  a  bad  example.  He  does  wrong,  therefore,  and  just- 
ly deserves  punishment." 

There  were,  of  course,  many  boys  who  felt  that  they  were 
in  danger.  Every  one  who  had  used  profane  language  was 
aware  that  he  might  be  the  one  who  had  been  overheard, 
and,  of  course,  all  were  deeply  interested  in  what  the  teacher 
was  saying. 

"  He  might,  I  say,"  continued  the  teacher,  "justly  be  pun- 
ished ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  punish  him  ;  for  if  I  should,  I 
am  afraid  that  it  would  only  make  him  a  little  more  careful 
hereafter  not  to  commit  this  sin  when  I  could  possibly  be 
within  hearing,  instead*  of  persuading  him,  as  I  wish  to,  to 
avoid  such  a  sin  in  future  altogether.  I  am  satisfied  that  that 
boy  would  be  far  happier,  even  in  this  world,  if  he  would 
make  it  a  principle  always  to  do  his  duty,  and  never,  in  any 
case,  to  do  wrong.  And  then,  when  I  think  how  soon  he 
and  all  of  us  will  be  in  another  world,  where  we  shall  all  be 
judged  for  what  we  do  here,  I  feel  strongly  desirous  of  per- 
suading him  to  abandon  entirely  this  practice.  I  nm  afraid 
that  punishing  him  now  would  not  do  that. 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  123 

"  Besides,"  continues  the  teacher,  "  I  think  it  very  proba- 
ble that  there  are  many  other  boys  in  this  school  who  aro 
sometimes  guilty  of  this  fault,  and  I  have  thought  that  it 
would  be  a  great  deal  better  and  happier  for  us  all  if,  instead 
of  punishing  this  particular  boy  whom  I  have  accidentally 
overheard,  and  who  probably  is  not  more  to  blame  than 
many  other  boys  in  school,  I  should  bring  up  the  whole  sub- 
ject, and  endeavor  to  persuade  all  the  boys  to  reform." 

I  am  aware  that  there  are,  unfortunately,  in  our  country 
a  great  many  teachers  from  whose  lips  such  an  appeal  as 
this  would  be  wholly  in  vain.  The  man  who  is  accustomed 
to  scold,  and  storm,  and  punish  with  unsparing  severity  every 
transgression,  under  the  influence  of  irritation  and  anger, 
must  not  expect  that  he  can  win  over  his  pupils  to  confidence 
in  him  and  to  the  principles  of  duty  by  a  word.  But  such 
an  appeal  will  not  be  lost  when  it  comes  from  a  man  whose 
daily  and  habitual  management  corresponds  with  it.  But  to 
return  to  the  story : 

The  teacher  made  some  farther  remarks,  explaining  the 
nature  of  the  sin,  not  in  the  language  of  execration  and  affect- 
ed abhorrence,  but  calmly,  temperately,  and  without  a-ny 
disposition  to  make  the  worst  of  the  occurrence  which  had 
taken  place.  In  concluding  what  he  said,  he  addressed  the 
boys  as  follows : 

"Now,  boys,  the  question  is,  do  you  wish  to  abandon  this 
habit  or  not  ?  If  you  do,  all  is  well.  I  shall  immediately  for- 
get all  the  past,  and  will  do  all  I  can  to  help  you  resist  and 
overcome  temptation  in  future.  But  all  I  can  do  is  only  to 
help  you ;  and  the  first  thing  to  be  done,  if  you  wish  to  en- 
gage in  this  work  of  reform,  is  to  acknowledge  your  fault ; 
and  I  should  like  to  know  how  many  are  willing  to  do  this." 

"  I  wish  all  those  who  are  willing  to  tell  me  whether  they 
use  profane  language  would  rise." 

Every  individual  but  one  rose. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  so  large  a  number,"  said   the 


124  THE   TEACHER. 

teacher;  "  and  I  hope  you  will  find  that  the  work  of  confess- 
ing and  forsaking  your  faults  is,  on  the  whole,  pleasant,  not 
painful  business.  Now  those  who  can  truly  and  honestly  say 
that  they  never  do  use  profane  language  of  any  kind  may 
take  their  seats." 

Three  only  of  the  whole  number,  which  consisted  of  not 
far  from  twenty,  sat  down.  It  was  in  a  sea-port  town,  where 
the  temptation  to  yield  to  this  vice  is  even  greater  than  would 
be,  in  the  interior  of  our  country,  supposed  possible. 

"Those  who  are  now  standing,"  pursued  the  teacher,  "ad- 
mit that  they  do,  sometimes  at  least,  commit  this  sin.  I  sup- 
pose all,  however,  are  determined  to  reform ;  for  I  do  not 
know  what  else  should  induce  you  to  rise  and  acknowledge  it 
here,  unless  it  is  a  desire  hereafter  to  break  yourselves  of  the 
habit.  But  do  you  suppose  that  it  will  be  enough  for  you 
merely  to  resolve  here  that  you  will  reform  1" 

"No,  sir,"  said  the  boys. 

"  Why  not  *?  If  you  now  sincerely  determine  never  more 
to  use  a  profane  wrord,  will  you  not  easily  avoid  it?" 

The  boys  were  silent.     Some  said  faintly,  "  No,  sir." 

"It  will  not  be  easy  for  you  to  avoid  the  sin  hereafter," 
continued  the  teacher,  "  even  if  you  do  now  sincerely  and 
resolutely  determine  to  do  so.  You  have  formed  the  habit 
of  sin,  and  the  habit  will  not  be  easily  overcome.  But  I  have 
detained  you  long  enough  now.  I  will  try  to  devise  some 
method  by  which  you  may  carry  your  plan  into  effect,  and 
to-morrow  I  will  tell  you  what  it  is." 

So  the  boys  were  dismissed  for  the  day  ;  the  pleasant 
countenance  and  cheerful  tone  of  the  teacher  conveying  to 
them  the  impression  that  they  were  engaging  in  the  common 
effort  to  accomplish  a  most  desirable  purpose,  in  which  they 
were  to  receive  the  teacher's  help,  not  that  he  was  pursuing 
them,  with  threatening  and  punishment,  into  the  forbidden 
practice  into  Avhich  they  had  wickedly  strayed.  Great  caution 
is,  however,  in  such  a  case,  necessary  to  guard  against  the 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  125 

danger  ihat  the  teacher,  in  attempting  to  avoid  the  tones  of  irri- 
tation and  anger,  should  so  speak  of  the  sin  as  to  blunt  his  pu- 
pils' sense  of  its  guilt,  and  lull  their  consciences  into  a  slumber. 

At  the  appointed  time  on  the  following  day  the  subject 
was  again  brought  before  the  school,  and  some  plans  pro- 
posed by  which  the  resolutions  now  formed  might  be  more 
certainly  kept.  These  plans  were  readily  and  cheerfully 
adopted  by  the  boys,  and  in  a  short  time  the  vice  of  pro- 
fancness  was,  in  a  great  degree,  banished  from  the  school. 

I  hope  the  reader  will  keep  in  mind  the  object  of  the  above 
illustration,  which  is  to  show  that  it  is  the  true  policy  of 
the  teacher  not  to  waste  his  time  and  strength  in  contending 
against  'such  accidental  instances  of  transgression  as  may  chance 
to  fall  under  his  notice,  but  to  take  an  enlarged  and  extended 
view  of  the  whole  ground,  endeavoring  to  remove  whole  classes 
of  faults — to  elevate  and  improve  multitudes  together. 

By  these  means,  his  labors  will  not  only  be  more  effectual, 
but  far  more  pleasant.  You  can  not  come  into  collision  with 
an  individual  scholar,  to  punish  him  for  a  mischievous  spirit, 
or  even  to  rebuke  him  for  some  single  act  by  which  he  has 
given  you  trouble,  without  an  uncomfortable  and  uneasy 
feeling,  which  makes,  in  ordinary  cases,  the  discipline  of  a 
school  the  most  unpleasant  part  of  a  teacher's  duty.  But 
you  can  plan  a  campaign  against  a  whole  class  of  faults,  and 
put  into  operation  a  system  of  measures  to  correct  them,  and 
watch  from  day  to  day  the  operation  of  that  system  with  all 
the  spirit  and  interest  of  a  game.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  game  where 
your  ingenuity  and  moral  power  are  brought  into  the  field, 
in  opposition  to  the  evil  tendencies  of  the  hearts  which  arc 
under  your  influence.  You  will  notice  the  success  or  the 
failure  of  the  means  you  may  put  into  operation  with  all  the 
interest  with  which  the  experimental  philosopher  observes 
the  curious  processes  he  guides,  though  your  interest  may  be 
much  purer  and  higher,  for  he  works  upon  matter,  but  you 
arc  experimenting  upon  mind. 


126  THE   TEACHER. 

Remember,  then,  as  for  the  first  time  you  take  your  new 
station  at  the  head  of  your  school,  that  it  is  not  your  duty 
simply  to  watch  with  an  eagle  eye  for  those  accidental  in- 
stances of  transgression  which  may  chance  to  fall  under  your 
notice.  You  are  to  look  over  the  whole  ground.  You  arc 
to  make  yourself  acquainted,  as  soon  as  possible,  with  the 
classes  of  character  and  classes  of  faults- which  may  prevail  in 
your  dominions,  and  to  form  deliberate  and  well-digested 
plans  for  improving  the  one  and  correcting  the  other. 

And  this  is  to  be  the  course  pursued  not  only  with  great 
delinquencies,  such  as  those  to  which  I  have  already  alluded, 
but  to  every  little  transgression  against  the  rules  of  order  and 
propriety.  You  can  correct  them  far  more  easily  and  pleas- 
antly in  the  mass  than  in  detail. 

To  illustrate  this  principle  by  another  case.  A  teacher, 
who  takes  the  course  I  am  condemning,  approaches  the  scat 
of  one  of  his  pupils,  and  asks  to  see  orie  of  his  books.  As 
the  boy  opens  his  desk,  the  teacher  observes  that  it  is  in  com- 
plete disorder.  Books,  maps,  papers,  play-things,  are  there 
in  promiscuous  confusion,  and,  from  the  impulse  of  the  mo- 
ment, the  displeased  teacher  pours  out  upon  the  poor  boy  a 
torrent  of  reproach. 

"What  a  looking  desk !  Why,  John,  I  am  really  ashamed 
of  you !  Look !"  continues  he,  holding  up  the  lid,  so  that  the 
boys  in  the  neighborhood  can  look  in  ;  "  see  what  a  mass  of 
disorder  and  confusion.  If  ever  I  see  your  desk  in  such  a 
state  again,  I  shall  most  certainly  punish  you." 

The  boys  around  laugh,  very  equivocally,  however,  for, 
with  the  feeling  of  amusement,  there  is  mingled  the  fear  that 
the  angry  master  may  take  it  into  his  head  to  inspect  their 
domains.  The  boy  accidentally  exposed  looks  sullen,  and  be- 
gins to  throw  his  books  into  some  sort  of  arrangement,  just 
enough  to  shield  himself  from  the  charge  of  absolutely  diso- 
beying the  injunction  that  he  has  received,  and  there  the 
matter  ends. 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  127 

Another  teacher  takes  no  apparent  notice  of  the  confusion 
which  he  thus  accidentally  witnesses.  "  I  must  take  up," 
thinks  he  to  himself,  "  the  subject  of  order  before  the  whole 
school.  I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  it."  He  thanks  the  boy 
for  the  book  he  borrowed,  and  goes  away.  He  makes  a 
memorandum  of  the  subject,  and  the  boy  does  not  know  that 
the  condition  of  his  desk  was  noticed ;  perhaps  he  docs  not 
even  know  that  there  was  any  thing  amiss. 

A  day  or  two  after,  at  a  time  regularly  appropriated  to 
such  subjects,  he  addresses  the  boys  as  follows : 

"  In  our  efforts  to  improve  the  school  as  much  as  possible, 
there  is  one  subject  which  we  must  not  forget.  I  mean  the 
order  of  the  desks." 

The  boys  all  begin  to  open  their  desk  lids. 

"You  may  stop  a  moment,"  says  the  teacher.  "I  shall 
give  you  all  an  opportunity  to  examine  your  desks  presently. 

"I  do  not  know  what  the  condition  of  your  desks  is.  I 
have  not  examined  them,  and  have  not,  in  fact,  seen  the  in- 
side of  more  than  one  or  two.  As  I  have  not  brought  up 
this  subject  before,  I  presume  that  there  are  a  great  many 
which  can  be  arranged  better  than  they  arc.  Will  you  all 
now  look  into  your  desks,  and  see  whether  you  consider  them 
in  good  order  ?  Stop  a  moment,  however.  Let  me  tell  you 
what  good  order  is.  All  those  things  which  are  alike  should 
be  arranged  together.  Books  should  be  in  one  place,  papers 
in  another,  and  thus  every  thing  should  be  classified.  Again, 
every  thing  should  be  so  placed  that  it  can  be  taken  out  with- 
out disturbing  other  things.  There  is  another  principle,  also, 
which  I  will  mention :  the  various  articles  should  have  con- 
stant places,  that  is,  they  should  not  be  changed  from  day  to 
day.  liy  this  means  you  soon  remember  where  every  thing 
belongs,  and  you  can  put  away  your  things  much  more  easily 
every  night  than  if  you  had  every  night  to  arrange  them  in 
a  new  way.  Now  will  you  look  into  your  desks,  and  tell  me 
whether  they  are,  on  these  three  principles,  well  arranged?" 


12H  TJIK   TEA.CIIEII. 

The  boys  of  most  schools,  where  this  subject  had  not  been 
regularly  attended  to,  would  nearly  all  answer  in  the  negative. 

"  I  will  allow  you,  then,  some  time  to-day,  fifteen  minutes 
to  arrange  ydur  desks,  and  I  hope  you  will  try  to  keep  them 
in  good  order  hereafter.  A  few  days  hence  I  shall  examine 
them.  If  any  of  you  wish  for  assistance  or  advice  from  mo 
in  putting  them  in  order,  I  shall  be  happy  to  render  it." 

By  such  a  plan,  which  will  occupy  but  little  more  time 
than  the  irritating  and  useless  scolding  which  I  supposed  in 
the  other  case,  how  much  more  will  be  accomplished.  Such 
ah  address  would  of  itself,  probably,  be  the  means  of  putting 
in  order,  and  keeping  in  order,  at  least  one  half  of  the  desks 
in  the  room,  and  following  up  the  plan  in  the  same  manner 
and  in  the  same  spirit  with  which  it  was  begun  would  secure 
the  rest. 

I  repeat  it,  therefore,  make  it  a  principle  in  all  cases  to 
aim  as  much  as  possible  at  the  correction  of  those  faults  which 
are  likely  to  be  general  by  general  measures.  You  avoid  by 
this  means  a  vast  amount  of  irritation  and  impatience,  both 
on  your  own  part  and  on  the  part  of  your  scholars,  and  you 
produce  twenty  times  the  useful  effect. 

3.  The  next  pi-inciplc  which  occurs  to  me  as  deserving  the 
teacher's  attention  in  the  outset  of  his  course  is  this : 

Interest  your  scholars  in  doing  something  themselves  to  el- 
evate the  moral  character  of  the  school,  so  as  to  secure  a  de- 
cided majority  who  will,  of  their  oivn  accord,  co-operate  with  you. 

Let  your  pupils  understand,  not  by  any  formal  speech 
which  you  make  to  that  effect,  but  by  the  manner  in  which, 
from  time  to  time,  you  incidentally  allude  to  the  subject,  that 
you  consider  the  school,  when  you  commence  it,  as  at  par,  so 
to  speak — that  is,  on  a  level  with  other  schools,  and  that 
your  various  plans  for  improving  and  amending  it  arc  not  to 
be  considered  in  the  light  of  finding  fault,  and  punishing 
transgressions,  and  controlling  evil  propensities,  so  as  just  to 
keep  things  in  a  tolerable  state,  but  as  efforts  to  improve  and 


MORAL    DISCIPLINE.  129 

carry  forward  the  institution  to  a  still  higher  state  of  excel- 
lence. Such  is  the  tone  and  manner  of  some  teachers  that 
they  never  appear  to  be  more  than  merely  satisfied.  When 
the  scholars  do  right,  nothing  is  said  about  it.  The  teacher 
seems  to  consider  that  a  matter  of  course.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear to  interest  or  please  him  at  all.  Nothing  arouses  him 
but  when  they  do  wrong,  and  that  only  excites  him  to  anger 
and  frowns.  Now  in  such  a  case  there  can,  of  course,  be  no 
stimulus  to  effort  on  the  part  of  the  pupils  but  the  cold  and 
heartless  stimulus  of  fear. 

Now  it  is  wrong  for  the  teacher  to  expect  that'things  will 
go  right  in  his  school  as  a  matter  of  course.  All  that  he  can 
expect  as  a  matter  of  course  is,  that  things  should  go  on  as 
Avcll  as  they  do  ordinarily  in  schools — the  ordinary  amount 
of  idleness,  the  ordinary  amount  of  misconduct.  This  is  the 
most  that  he  can  expect  to  come  as  a  matter  of  course.  He 
should  feel  this,  and  then  all  he  can  gain  which  will  be  bet- 
ter than  this  will  be  a  source  of  positive  pleasure ;  a  pleas- 
ure which  his  pupils  have  procured  for  him,  and  which,  con- 
sequently, they  should  share.  They  should  understand  that 
the  teacher  is, engaged  in  various  plans  for  improving  the 
school,  in  which  they  should  be  invited  to  engage,  not  from 
the  selfish  desire  of  thereby  saving  him  trouble,  but  because 
it  will  really  be  happy  employment  for  them  to  engage  in 
such  an  enterprise,  and  because,  by  such  efforts,  their  own 
moral  powers  Avill  be  exerted  and  strengthened  in  the  best 
possible  way. 

In  another  chapter  I  have  explained  to  what  extent,  and 
in  what  manner,  the  assistance  of  the  pupils  may  be  usefully 
and  successfully  employed  in  carrying  forward  the  general 
arrangements  of  the  school.  The  same  principles  will  apply 
here,  though  perhaps  a  little  more  careful  and  delicate  man- 
agement is  necessary  in  interesting  them  in  subjects  Which 
relate  to  moral  discipline. 

One  important  method  of  accomplishing  this  end  is  to  prc- 
F2 


130  THE   TEACHER. 

sent  these  plans  before  the  minds  of  the  scholars  as  experi- 
ments— moral  experiments,  whose  commencement,  progress, 
and  results  they  may  take  a  great  interest  in  witnessing. 
Let  us  take,  for  example,  the  case  alluded  to  under  the  last 
head — the  plan  of  effecting  a  reform  in  regard  to  keeping 
desks  in  order.  Suppose  the  teacher  were  to  say,  when  the 
time  had  arrived  at  which  he  had  promised  to  give  them  an 
opportunity  to  put  the  desks  in  order, 

"  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  keep  some  account  of 
our  efforts  for  improving  the  school  in  this  respect.  We 
might  make  a  record  of  what  we  do  to-day,  noting  the  day 
of  the  month  and  the  number  of  desks  which  may  be  found 
to  be  disorderly.  Then,  at  the  end  of  any  time  you  may 
propose,  we  will  have  the  desks  examined  again,  and  see  how 
many  are  disorderly  then.  We  can  thus  sec  how  much  im- 
provement has  been  made  in  that  time.  Should  you  like  to 
adopt  the  plan  ?" 

If  the  boys  should  appear  not  much  interested  in  the  pro- 
posal, the  teacher  might,  at  his  own  discretion,  waive  it.  In 
all  probability,  however,  they  would  like  it,  and  would  indi- 
cate their  interest  by  their  countenances,  or,  perhaps  by  a 
response.  If  so,  the  teacher  might  proceed. 

"  You  may  all  examine  your  desks,  then,  and  decide  wheth- 
er they  are  in  order  or  not.  I  do  not  know,  however,  but 
that  we  ought  to  appoint  a  committee  to  examine  them  ;  for 
perhaps  all  the  boys  would  not  be  honest,  and  report  their 
desks  as  they  really  arc." 

"Yes,  sir;"  "yes,  sir,"  say  the  boys. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  will  be  honest,  or  that  you  would 
like  to  have  a  committee  appointed?" 

There  was  a  confused  murmur.  Some  answer  one,  and 
some  the  other. 

"I.  think,"  proceeds  the  teacher,  "the  boys  will  be  honest, 
and  report  their  desks  just  as  they  are.  At  any  rate,  the 
number  of  dishonest  boys  in  this  school  can  not  be  so  large 


MOUAI,   DISCIPLINE.  131 

as  materially  to  affect  the  result.  I  think  we  had  better 
take  your  own  statements.  As  soon  as  the  desks  are  all  cx- 
amined,  those  who  have  found  theirs  in  a  condition  which 
does  not  satisfy  them  arc  requested  to  rise  and  be  counted." 

The  teacher  then  looks  around  the  room,  and  selecting 
some  intelligent  boy  who  has  influence  among  his  compan- 
ions, and  whose  influence  he  is  particularly  desirous  of  enlist- 
ing on  the  side  of  good  order,  says,  "  Shall  I  nominate  some 
one  to  keep  an  account  of  the  number?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  say  the  boys. 

"  Well,  I  nominate  William  Jones.  How  many  arc  in 
favor  of  requesting  William  Jones  to  perform  this  duty  ?" 

"  It  is  a  vote.  William,  I  will  thank  you  to  write  upon  a 
piece  of  paper  that  on  the  8th  of  December  the  subject  of 
order  in  the  desks  was  brought  up,  and  that  the  boys  resolved 
on  making  an  effort  to  improve  the  school  in  this  respect. 
Then  say  that  the  boys  reported  all  their  desks  which  they 
thought  were  disorderly,  and  that  the  number  was  thirty-five; 
and  that  after  a  week  or  two,  the  desks  arc  to  be  examined 
again,  and  the  disorderly  ones  counted,  that  we  may  see  how 
much  we  have  improved.  After  you  have  Avritten  it  you 
may  bring  it  to  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  whether  it  is  right." 

"  How  many  desks  do  you  think  will  be  found  to  be  dis- 
orderly when  we  come  to  make  the  examination  1" 

The  boys  hesitate.  ; 

The  teacher  names  successively  several  numbers,  and  asks 
whether  they  think  the  real  number  will  be  greater  or  less. 
He  notices  their  votes  upon  them,  and  at  last  fixes  upon  one 
which  seems  to  be  about  the  general  sense  of  the  school. 
Then  the  teacher  himself  mentions  the  number  which  he  sup- 
poses will  be  found  to  be  disorderly.  His  estimate  will  or- 
dinarily be  larger  than  that  of  the  scholars,  because  ho 
knows  better  how  easily  resolutions  arc  broken.  This  num- 
ber, too,  is  recorded,  and  then  the  \vholc  subject  is  dismissed. 

Now,  of  course,  no  reader  of  these  remarks  will  understand 


132  THE   TEACHER. 

me  to  be  recommending,  by  this  imaginary  dialogue,  a  par- 
ticular course  to  be  taken  in  regard  to  this  subject,  far  less 
the  particular  language  to  be  used.  All  I  mean  is  to  show 
by  a  familiar  illustration  how  the  teacher  is  to  endeavor  to 
enlist  the  interest  and  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  his  pupils  in 
his  plans  for  the  improvement  of  his  school,  by  presenting 
them  as  moral  experiments,  which  they  arc  to  assist  him  in 
trying — Experiments  whose  progress  they  arc  to  watch,  and 
Avhose  results  they  are  to  predict.  If  the  precise  steps  which 
I  have  described  should  actually  be  taken,  although  it  would 
occupy  but  a  few  minutes,  and  would  cause  no  thought  and 
no  perplexing  care,  yet  it  would  undoubtedly  be  the  means 
of  awakening  a  very  general  interest  in  the  subject  of  order 
throughout  the  school.  AllAvould  be  interested  in  the  work 
of  arrangement. 

All  would  watch,  too,  with  interest  the  progress  and  the 
result  of  the  experiment ;  and  if,  a  few  days  afterward,  the 
teacher  should  accidentally,  in  recess,  see  a  disorderly  desk, 
a  good-humored  remark  made  with  a  smile  to  the  by-stand- 
ers,  "  I  suspect  my  prediction  will  turn  out  the  correct  one," 
would  have  far  more  effect  than  the  most  severe  reproach- 
es, or  the  tingling  of  a  rap  over  the  knuckles  with  a  ratan. 

I  know  from  experience  that  scholars  of  eveiy  kind  can  be 
led  by  such  measures  as  these,  or  rather  by  such  a  spirit  as 
this,  to  take  an  active  interest,  and  to  exert  a  most  power- 
ful influence  in  regard  to  the  whole  condition  of  the  institu- 
tion. I  have  seen  the  experiment  successful  in  boys'  schools 
and  in  girls'  schools,  among  very  little  children,  and  among 
the  seniors  and  juniors  at  college. 

In  one  of  the  colleges  of  New  England  a  new  and  beau- 
tiful edifice  was  erected.  The  lecture-rooms  were  fitted  up 
in  handsome  style,  and  the  officers,  when  the  time  for  the 
occupation  of  the  building  approached,  were  anticipating  with 
regret  what  seemed  to  be  the  unavoidable  defacing,  and  cut- 
ting, and  marking  of  the  seats  and  walls.  It  was,  however, 


MOUAL    DISCIPLINE. 


133 


thought  that  if  the  subject  was  properly  presented  to  the 
students,  they  Avould  take  an  interest  in  preserving  the  prop- 
erty from  injury.  They  were  accordingly  addressed  some- 
what as  follows : 

"It  seems,  young  gentlemen,  to  be  generally  the  custom 
in  colleges  for  the  students  to  ornament  the  walls  and  bench- 
es of  their  recitation-rooms  with  various  inscriptions  and  car- 
icatures, so  that  after  the  premises  have  been  for  a  short  time 
in  the  possession  of  a  class,  every  thing  within  reach,  which 
will  take  an  impression  from  a  penknife  or  a  trace  from  n 
pencil,  is  covered  with  names,  and  dates,  and  heads,  and  in- 
scriptions of  every  kind.  The  faculty  do  not  know  what  you 
wish  in  this  respect  in  regard  to  the  new  accommodations 
which  the  trustees  have  now  provided  for  you,  and  which 
you  are  soon  to  enter.  They  have  had  them  fitted  up  for 
you  handsomely,  and  if  you  wish  to  have  them  kept  in  good 
order,  we  will  assist  you.  If  the  students  think  proper  to 
express  by  a  vote,  or  in  any  other  way,  their  wish  to  keep 
them  in  good  order,  we  will  engage  to  have  such  incidental 


134  THE   TEACIIKK. 

injuries  as  may  from  time  to  time  occur  immediately  re- 
paired. Such  injuries  will,  of  course,  be  done;  for,  what- 
ever may  be  the  wish  and  general  opinion  of  the  whole,  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  every  individual  in  so  large  a  com- 
munity will  be  careful.  If,  however,  as  a  body,  you  wish  to 
Lave  the  building  preserved  in  its  present  state,  and  will,  as 
a  body,  take  the  necessary  precautions,  we  will  do  our  part." 

The  students  responded  to  this  appeal  most  heartily.  They 
passed  a  vote  expressing  a  desire  to  preserve  the  premises  ia 
order,  and  for  many  years,  and,  for  aught  I  kno\v,  to  the 
present  hour,  the  whole  is  kept  as  a  room  occupied  by  gen- 
tlemen should  be  kept.  At  some  other  colleges,  and  those, 
too,  sustaining  the  very  highest  rank  among  the  institutions 
of  the  country,  the  doors  of  the  public  buildings  arc  some- 
times studded  with  nails  as  thick  as  tlicy  can  possibly  Ic  driven, 
and  then  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  sand  dried  into  the  paint, 
as  a  protection  from  the  knives  of  the  students .' ! 

The  particular  methods  by  which  the  teacher  is  to  intern  t 
his  pupils  in  his  various  plans  for  their  improvement  can 
not  be  fully  described  here.  In  fact,  it  docs  not  depend  so 
much  on  the  methods  he  adopts  as  upon  the  view  which  he 
himself  takes  of  these  plans,  and  the  tone  and  manner  in  ichich 
he  speate  of  them  to  his  pupils. 

A  teacher,  for  example,  perhaps  on  the  first  day  of  his  la- 
bors in  a  new  school,  calls  a  class  to  read.  They  pretend  to 
form  a  line,  but  it  crooks  in  every  direction.  One  boy  is 
leaning  back  against  a  desk ;  another  comes  forward  as  far 
as  possible,  to  get  near  the  fire ;  the  rest  lounge  in  every  po- 
sition and  in  every  attitude.  John  is  holding  up  his  book 
high  before  his  face  to  conceal  an  apple  from  which  he  is  en- 
deavoring to  secure  an  enormous  bite.  James  is,  by  the  same 
sagacious  device,  concealing  a  whisper  which  he  is  address- 
ing to  his  next  neighbor,  and  Moses  is  seeking  amusement 
by  crowding  and  elbowing  the  little  boy  who  is  unluckily 
standing  next  him. 


MORAL    DISCIPLINE.  135 

"What  a  spectacle!"  says  the  master  to  himself,  as  he 
looks  at  this  sad  display.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  The  first 
impulse  is  to  break  forth  upon  them  at  once  with  all  the  ar- 
tillery of  reproof,  and  threatening,  and  punishment.  I  have 
seen,  in  such  a  case,  a  scolding  and  frowning  master  walk  up 
and  down  before  such  a  class  with  a  stern  and  angry  air, 
commanding  this  oac  to  stand  back,  and  that  one  to  come  for- 
ward, ordering  one  boy  to  put  down  his  book,  and  scolding 
at  a  second  for  having  lost  his  place,  and  knocking  the  knees 
of  another  with  his  ruler  because  he  was  out  of  the  line.  The 
boys  scowl  at  their  teacher,  and,  with  ill-natured  reluctance, 
they  obey  just  enough  to  escape  punishment. 

Another  teacher  looks  calmly  at  the  scene,  and  says  to 
himself,  "What  shall  I  dp  to  remove  effectually  these  evils? 
If  I  can  but  interest  the  boys  in  reform,  it  will  be  far  more 
easy  to  effect  it  than  if  I  attempt  to  accomplish  it  by  the 
mere  exercise  of  my  authority." 

In  the  mean  time  things  go  on  during  the  reading  in  their 
own  way.  The  teacher  simply  observes.  Pie  is  in  no  haste 
to  commence  his  operations.  lie  looks  for  the  faults ;  watch- 
es, without  seeming  to  watch,  the  movements  which  he  is  at- 
tempting to  control.  lie  studies  the  materials  with  which 
he  is  to  work,  and  lets  their  true  character  develop  itself, 
lie  tries  to  find  something  to  approve  in  the  exercise  as  it 
proceeds,  and  endeavors  to  interest  the  .class  by  narrating 
some  fact  connected  with  the  reading,  or  making  some  ex- 
planation which  interests  the  boys.  At  the  end  of  the  exer- 
cise he  addresses  them,  perhaps,  as  follows : 

"  I  have  observed,  boys,  in  some  military  companies,  that 
the  officers  arc  very  strict,  requiring  implicit  and  precise 
obedience.  The  men  are  required  to  form  a  precise  line." 
(Here  there  is  a  sort  of  involuntary  movement  all  along  the 
line,  by  which  it  is  very  sensibly  straightened.)  "  They  make 
all  the  men  stand  erect"  (at  this  word  heads  go  up,  and  strag- 
gling feet  draw  in  all  along  the  class),  "  in  the  true  military 


130  THE    TEACHEK. 

posture.  They  allow  nothing  to  be  done  in  the  ranks  but  to 
attend  to  the  exercise"  (John  hastily  crowds  his  apple  into 
his  pocket),  "  and  thus  they  regulate  every  thing  in  exact 
and  steady  discipline,  so  that  all  things  go  on  in  a  most  sys- 
tematic and  scientific  manner.  This  discipline  is  so  admi- 
rable in  some  countries,  especially  in  Europe,  where  much 
greater  attention  is  paid  to  military  tactics  than  in  our  coun- 
try, that  I  have  heard  it  said  by  travelers  that  some  of  the 
soldiers  who  mount  guard  at  public  places  look  as  much  like 
statues  as  they  do  like  living  men. 

"  Other  commanders  act  differently.  They  let  the  men  do 
pretty  much  as  they  please.  So  you  will  see  such  a  company 
lounging  into  a  line  when  the  drum  beats,  as  if  they  took 
little  interest  in  what  was  going  on.  While  the  captain  is 
giving  his  commands,  one  is  eating  his  luncheon,  another  is 
talking  with  his  next  neighbor.  Part  are  out  of  the  line ; 
part  lounge  on  one  foot ;.  they  hold  their  guns  in  every  posi- 
tion ;  and,  on  the  whole,  present  a  very  disorderly  and  unsol- 
dier-like  appearance. 

"  I  have  observed,  too,  that  boys  very  generally  prefer  to 
see  the  strict  companies,  but  perhaps  they  would  prefer  to 
belong  to  the  lax  ones." 

"No,  sir;"  "No,  sir,"  say  the  boys. 

"  Suppose  you  all  had  your  choice  cither  to  belong  to  a 
company  like  the  first  one  I  described,  where  the  captain 
was  strict  in  all  his  requirements,  or  to  one  like  the  latter, 
where  you  could  do  pretty  much  as  you  pleased,  which  should 
you  prefer?" 

Unless  I  am  entirely  mistaken  in  my  idea  of  the  inclina- 
tions of  boys,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  get  a  single  honest 
expression  of  preference  for  the  latter.  They  would  say  with 
one  voice, 

"  The  first." 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  so.  You  would  be  put  to  some 
inconvenience  by  the  strict  commands  of  the  captain,  but 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  137 

then  you  would  be  more  than  paid  by  the  beauty  of  regular- 
ity and  order  which  you  would  all  witness.  There  is  nothing 
so  pleasant  as  regularity,  and  nobody  likes  regularity  more 
than  boys  do.  To  show  this,  I  should  like  to  have  you  now 
form  a  line  as  exact  as  you  can." 

After  some  unnecessary  shoving  and  pushing,  increased  by 
the  disorderly  conduct  of  a  few  bad  boys,  a  line  is  formed. 
Most  of  the  class  are  pleased  with  the  experiment,  and  the 
teacher  takes  no  notice  of  the  few  exceptions.  The  time  to 
attend  to  them  will  come  by-and-by. 

"  Hands  down."     The  boys  obey. 

u  Shoulders  back." 

"  There ;  there  is  a  very  perfect  line." 

"Do  you  stand  easily  in  that  position?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  believe  your  position  is  the  military  one  now,  pretty 
nearly ;  and  military  men  study  the  postures  of  the  human 
body  for  the  sake  of  finding  the  one  most  easy ;  for  they  wish 
to  preserve  as  much  as  possible  of  the  soldiers'  strength  for 
the  time  of  battle.  I  should  like  to  try  the  experiment  of 
your  standing  thus  at  the  next  lesson.  It  is  a  very  great 
improvement  upon  your  common  mode.  Arc  you  willing  to 
do  it?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  say  the  boys. 

"You  will'  get  tired,  I  have  no  doubt;  for  the  military 
position,  though  most  convenient  and  easy  in  the  end,  is  not 
to  be  learned  and  fixed  in  practice  without  effort.  In  fact, 
I  do  not  expect  you  will  succeed  the  first  day  very  well. 
You  will  probably  become  restless  and  uneasy  before  the  end 
of  the  lesson,  especially  the  smaller  boys.  I  must  excuse  it, 
I  suppose,  if  you  do,  as  it  will  be  the  first  time." 

15y  such  methods  as  these  the  teacher  will  certainly  secure 
a  majority  in  favor  of  all  his  plans.  But  perhaps  some  ex- 
perienced teacher,  who  knows  from  his  own  repeated  difficul- 
ties with  bad  boys  what  sort  of  spirits  the  teacher  of  dis- 


J0»  THE   TEACHER. 

trict  schools  has  sometimes  to  deal  with,  may  ask,  as  he  reads 
this, 

"  Do  you  expect  that  such  a  method  as  this  will  succeed 
in  keeping  your  school  in  order?  Why  there  are  boys  in 
almost  every  school  whom  you  would  no  more  coax  into 
obedience  and  order  in  this  way  than  you  would  persuade 
the  northeast  wind  to  change  its  course  by  reasoning." 

I  know  there  are.  And  my  readers  are  requested  to  bear 
in  mind  that  my  object  is  not  to  show  how  the  whole  gov- 
ernment of  the  school  may  be  secured,  but  how  one  impor- 
tant advantage  may  be  gained,  which  will  assist  in  accom- 
plishing the  object.  All  I  should  expect  or  hope  for,  by  such 
measures  as  these,  is  to  interest  and  gain  over  to  our  side  the 
majority.  "What  is  to  be  done  with  those  who  can  not  be 
reached  by  such  kinds  of  influence  I  shall  endeavor  presently 
to  show.  The  object  noAV  is  simply  to  gain  the  majority — 
to  awaken  a  general  interest,  which  you  can  make  effectual 
in  promoting  your  plans,  and  thus  to  narrow  the  field  of  dis- 
cipline by  getting  those  right  who  can  be  got  right  by  such 
measures. 

Thus  securing  a  majority  to  be  on  your  side  in  the  general 
administration  of  the  school  is  absolutely  indispensable  to 
success.  A  teacher  may,  indeed,  by  the  force  of  mere  author- 
ity, so  control  his  pupils  as  to  preserve  order  in  the  school- 
room, and  secure  a  tolerable  pi-ogress  in  study,  but  the  prog- 
ress will  be  slow,  and  the  cultivation  of  moral  principle 
must  be,  in  such  a  case,  entirely  neglected.  The  principles 
of  duty  can  not  be  inculcated  by  fear ;  and  though  pain  and 
terror  must  in  many  instances  be  called  in  to  coerce  an  in- 
dividual offender,  whom  milder  measures  will  not  reach,  yet 
these  agents,  and  others  like  them,  can  never  be  successfully 
employed  as  the  ordinaiy  motives  to  action.  They  can  not 
produce  any  thing  but  mere  external  and  heartless  obedience 
in  the  presence  of  the  teacher,  with  an  inclination  to  throw  off 
ail  restraint  when  the  pressure  of  stern  authority  is  removed. 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  139 

We  should  all  remember  that  our  pupils  are  but  for  a  very 
short  time  under  our  direct  control.  Even  when  they  are  in 
school  the  most  untiring  vigilance  will  not  enable  us  to  watch, 
except  for  a  very  small  portion  of  the  time,  any  one  individ- 
ual. Many  hours  of  the  day,  too,  they  are  entirely  removed 
from  our  inspection,  and  a  few  months  will  take  them  away 
from  us  altogether.  Subjecting  them,  then,  to  mere  external 
restraint  is  a  very  inadequate  remedy  for  the  moral  evil  to 
which  they  are  exposed.  What  we  aim  at  is  to  bring  for- 
ward and  strengthen  an  internal  principle  which  will  act 
when  both  parent  and  teacher  are  away,  and  control  where 
external  circumstances  arc  all  unfavorable. 

I  have  thus  far,  under  this  head,  been  endeavoring  to  show 
the  importance  of  securing,  by  gentle  measures,  a  majority 
of  the  scholars  to  cc-operate  with  the  teacher  in  his  plans. 
Tha  particular  methods  of  doing  this  demand  a  little  at- 
tention. 

(1.)  The  teacher  should  study  human  nature  as  it  exhibits 
itself  in  the  school-room  by  taking  an  interest  in  the  sports 
laid  enjoyments  of  the  pupils,  and  connecting,  as  much  as 
possible,  what  is  interesting  and  agreeable  with  the  pursuits 
of  the  school,  so  as  to  lead  the  scholars  to  like  the  place.  An 
attachment  to  the  institution,  and  to  the  duties  of  it,  will 
give  the  teacher  a  very  strong  hold  upon  the  community  of 
mind  which  exists  there. 

(2.)  Every  thing  which  is  unpleasant  in  the  discipline  of 
the  school  should  be  attended  to,  as  far  as  possible,  privately. 
Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  bring  a  case  forward  in  public 
for  reproof  or  punishment,  but  this  is  seldom  required.  In 
some  schools  it  is  the  custom  to  postpone  cases  of  discipline 
till  the  close  of  the  day,  and  then,  just  before  the  boys  are 
dismissed  at  night,  all  the  difficulties  are  settled.  'Thus,  day 
after  day,  the  impression  which  is  last  made  upon  their  minds 
is  received  from  a  season  of  suffering,  and  terror,  and  tears. 

Now  such  a  practice  may  be  attended  with  many  advant- 


140  THE   TEACHER. 

ages,  but  it  seems  to  be,  on  the  whole,  unwise.  Awing  the 
pupils,  by  showing  them  the  painful  consequences  of  doing 
wrong,  should  be  very  seldom  resorted  to.  It  is  far  better 
to  allure  them  by  showing  them  the  pleasures  of  doing  right. 
Doing  right  is  pleasant  to  every  body,  and  no  persons  arc  so 
easily  convinced  of  this,  or,  rather,  so  easily  led  to  sec  it,  as 
children.  Now  the.  true  policy  is  to  let  them  experience  the 
pleasure  of  doing  their  duty,  and  they  will  easily  be  allured 
to  it. 

In  many  cases,  where  a  fault  has  been  publicly  committed, 
it  seems,  at  first  view,  to  be  necessary  that  it  should  be  pub- 
licly punished  ;  but  the  end  will,  in  most  cases,  be  answered 
if  it  is  noticed  publicly,  so  that  the  pupils  may  know  that  it 
received  attention,  and  then  the  ultimate  disposal  of  the  case 
may  be  made  a  private  affair  between  the  teacher  and  the 
individual  concerned.  If,  however,  every  case  of  disobedi- 
ence, or  idleness,  or  disorder,  is  brought  out  publicly  before 
the  school,  so  that  all  witness  the  teacher's  displeasure  and 
feel  the  effects  of  it  (for  to  witness  it  is  to  feel  its  most  un- 
pleasant effects),  the  school  becomes,  in  a  short  time,  harden- 
ed to  such  scenes.  Unpleasant  associations  become  connect- 
ed with  the  management  of  the  school,  and  the  scholars  arc 
prepared  to  do  wrong  with  less  reluctance,  since  the  conse- 
quence is  only  a  repetition  of  what  they  are  obliged  to  sec 
every  day. 

Besides,  if  a  boy  does  something  wrong,  and  you  severely 
reprove  him  in  the  presence  of  his  class,  you  punish  the  class 
alrribst  as  much  as  you  do  him.  In  fact,  in  many  cases  you 
punish  them  more  ;  for  I  believe  it  is  almost  invariably  more 
unpleasant  for  a  good  boy  to  stand  by  and  listen  to  rebukes, 
than  for  a  bad  boy  to  take  them.  Keep  these  things,  there- 
fore, as  much  as  possible  out  of  sight.  Never  bring  forward 
cases  of  discipline  except  on  mature  deliberation,  and  for  a 
distinct  and  well-defined  purpose. 

(3.)  Never  bring  forward  a  case  of  discipline  of  this  kind 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  141 

unless  you  are  sure  that  public  opinion  will  go  in  your  favor. 
If  a  case  comes  up  in  which  the  sympathy  of  the  scholars  is 
excited  for  the  criminal  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  against  your- 
self, the  punishment  will  always  do  more  harm  than  good. 
Now  this,  unless  there  is  great  caution,  will  often  happen. 
In  fact,  it  is  probable  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the 
punishments  which  are  ordinarily  inflicted  in  schools  only 
prepare  the  way  for  more  offenses. 

It  is,  however,  possible  to  bring  forward  individual  cases 
in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  a  very  strong  moral  effect  of  the 
right  kind.  This  is  to  be  done  fey  seizing  upon  those  pecul- 
iar emergencies  which  will  arise  in  the  course  of  the  admin- 
istration of  a  school,  and  which  each  teacher  must  watch  for 
and  discover  himself.  They  can  not  be  pointed  out.  I  may, 
however,  give  a  clearer  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  such  emer- 
gencies by  an  example.  It  is  a  case  which  actually  occurred 
as  here  narrated. 

In  a  school  where  nearly  all  the  pupils  were  faithful  and 
docile,  there  were  one  or  two  boys  Avho  were  determined  to 
find  amusement  in  those  mischievous  tricks  so  common  in 
schools  and  colleges.  There  was  one  boy,  in  particular,  who 
was  the  life  and  soul  of  all  these  plans.  Devoid  of  princi- 
ple, idle  as  a  scholar,  morose  and  sullen  in  his  manners,  he 
was,  in  every  respect,  a  true  specimen  of  the  whole  class  of 
mischief-makers,  wherever  they  are  to  be  found.  His  mis- 
chief consisted,  as  usual,  in  such  exploits  as  stopping  up  the 
keyhole  of  the  door,  upsetting  the  teacher's  inkstand,  or  fix- 
ing something  to  his  desk  to  make  a  noise  and  interrupt  the 
school. 

It  so  happened  that  there  was  a  standing  feud  between 
the  boys  of  his  neighborhood  and  those  of  another  situated 
a  mile  or  two  from  it.  By  his  malicious  activity  he  had 
stimulated  this  quarrel  to  a  high  pitch,  and  was  very  obnox- 
ious to  the  boys  of  the  other  party.  One  day,  when  taking 
a  walk,  the  teacher  observed  a  number  of  boys  with  excited 


112  THE   TEAC11EK. 

looks,  and  armed  with  sticks  and  stones,  standing  around  a 
shoemaker's  shop,  to  which  his  poor  pupil  had  gone  for  refuge 
from  them.  They  had  got  him  completely  within  their  pow- 
er, and  were  going  to  Avait  until  he  should  be  weaned  with 
his  confinement  and  come  out,  when  they  were  going  to  in- 
flict upon  him  the  punishment  they  thought  he  deserved. 

The  teacher  interfered,  and  by  the  united  influence  of  au- 
thority, management,  and  persuasion,  succeeded  in  effecting 
a  rescue.  The  boy  would  probably  Lnvc  preferred  to  owe 
his  safety  to  any  one  else  than  to  the  teacher  whom  he  had 
so  often  tried  to  tease,  but  'he  was  glad  to  escape  in  any 
way.  The  teacher  said  nothing  about  the  subject,  and  the 
boy  soon  supposed  it  was  entirely  forgotten. 

But  it  was  not  forgotten.  The  teacher  knew  perfectly  well 
that  the  boy  would  before  long  be  at  his  old  tricks  again,  and 
was  reserving  this  story  as  the  means  of  turning  the  whole 
current  of  public  opinion  against  such  tricks,  should  they  again 
occur. 

One  day  he  came  to  school  in  the  afternoon,  and  found  the 
room  filled  with  smoke;  the  doors  and  windows  were  all 
closed,  though,  as  soon  as  he  came  in,  some  of  the  boys  opened 
them.  He  knew  by  this  circumstance  that  it  was  roguery, 
not  accident,  which  caused  the  smoke.  He  appeared  not  to 
notice  it,  however,  said  he  was  sorry  it  smoked,  and  asked 
the  mischievous  boy — for  he  was  sure  to  be  always  near  in 
such  a  case — to  assist  him  in  putting  up  the  wood  of  the  fire 
more  compactly.  The  boy  supposed  that  the  smoke  was  un- 
derstood to  be  accidental,  and  perhaps  secretly  laughed  at  the 
dullness  of  his  master. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  the  teacher  ascertained  by 
private  inquiries  that  his  suspicions  were  correct  as  to  the 
author  of  the  mischief.  At  the  close  of  school,  when  the 
studies  were  ended,  and  the  books  laid  away,  he  said  to  the 
scholars  that  he  wanted  to  tell  them  a  story. 

He  then,  with  a  pleasant  tone  and  manner,  gave  a  very 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  143 

minute,  and,  to  the  boys,  a  very  interesting  narrative  of  his 
adventure  two  or  three  weeks  before,  when  he  rescued  this 
boy  from  his  danger.  He  called  him,  however,  simply  a  lay, 
without  mentioning  his  name,  or  even  hinting  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school.  No  narrative  could  excite  a  stronger 
interest  among  an  audience  of  school-boys  than  such  a  one 
as  this,  and  no  act  of  kindness  from  a  teacher  would  make 
as  vivid  an  impression  as  interfering  to  rescue  a  trembling 
captive  from  such  a  situation  as  the  one  this  boy  had  been  in. 

The  scholars  listened  with  profound  interest  and  attention, 
and  though  the  teacher  said  little  about  his  share  in  the  af- 
fair, and  spoke  of  what  he  did  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course 
that  lie  should  thus  befriend  a  boy  in  distress,  an  impi'cssion 
very  favorable  to  himself  must  have  been  made.  After  he 
had  finished  his  narrative,  he  said, 

"Now  should  you  like  to  know  who  this  boy  was?'' 

"Yes,  sir,"  "Yes,  sir,"  said  they,  eagerly. 

"  It  was  a  boy  that  you  all  know." 

The  boys  looked  around  upon  one  another.  Who  could 
it  be? 

"He  is  a  member  of  this  school." 

There  was  an  expression  of  fixed,  and  eager,  and  increas- 
ing interest  on  every  face  in  the  room. 

"He  is  here  now,"  said  the  teacher,  winding  up  the  in- 
terest and  curiosity  of  the  scholars,  by  these  words,  to  the 
highest  pitch. 

"  But  I  can  not  tell  you  his  name ;  for  what  return  do 
you  think  he  made  to  me  ?  To  be  sure  it  was  no  very  great 
favor  that  I  did  him  ;  I  should  have  been  unworthy  the  name 
of  teacher  if  I  had  not  done  it  for  him,  or  for  any  boy  in  my 
school.  But,  at  any  rate,  it  showed  my  good  wishes  for  him ; 
it  showed  that  I  was  his  friend ;  and  what  return  do  you 
think  he  made  me  for  it?  Why,  to-day  he  spent  his  time 
between  schools  in  filling  the  room  with  smoke,  that  he 
might  torment  his  companions  here,  and  give  me  trouble,  and 


141  THE   TEACIIKK. 

anxiety,  and  suffering  when  I  should  come.  If  I  should  tell 
you  his  name,  the  whole  school  would  turn  against  him  for 
his  ingratitude." 

The  business  ended  here,  and  it  put  a  stop,  a  final  stop,  to 
all  malicious  tricks  in  the  school.  Now  it  is  not  very  often 
that  so  fine  an  opportunity  occurs  to  kill,  by  a  single  blow, 
the  disposition  to  do  willful,  wanton  injury,  as  this  circum- 
stance afforded ;  but  the  principle  illustrated  by  it,  bringing 
forward  individual  cases  of  transgression  in  a  public  manner, 
only  for  the  sake  of  the  general  effect,  and  so  arranging  what 
is  said  and  done  as  to  produce  the  desired  effect  upon  the 
public  mind  in  the  highest  degree,  may  very  frequently  be 
acted  upon.  Cases  are  continually  occurring,  and  if  the 
teacher  will  keep  it  constantly  in  mind,  that  when  a  particu- 
lar case  comes  before  the  whole  school,  the  object  is  an  influ- 
ence upon  the  whole,  and  not  the  punishment  or  reform  of 
the  guilty  individual,  he  will  insensibly  so  shape  his  measures 
as  to  produce  the  desired  result. 

(4.)  There  should  be  a  great  difference  made  between  the 
measures  which  you  take  to  prevent  wrong,  and  the  feelings  of 
displeasure  whichyou  express  against  the  Avrong  when  it  is  done. 
The  former  should  be  strict,  authoritative,  unbending ;  the 
latter  should  be  mild  and  gentle.  Your  measures,  if  uniform 
and  systematic,  will  never  give  offense,  however  powerfully 
you  may  restrain  and  control  those  subject  to  them.  It  is 
the  morose  look,  the  harsh  expression,  the  tone  of  irritation 
and  fretfulncss,  which  is  so  unpopular  in  school.  The  sins 
of  childhood  arc  by  nine  tenths  of  mankind  enormously  over- 
rated, and  perhaps  none  overrate  them  more  extravagantly 
than  teachers.  We  confound  the  trouble  they  give  us  with 
their  real  moral  \urpitudc,  and  measure  the  one  by  the  other. 
Now  if  a  fault  prevails  in  school,  one  teacher  will  scold  and 
fret  himself  about  it  day  after  day,  until  his  scholars  arc  tired 
both  of  school  and  of  him  ;  and  yet  he  will  do  nothing  effect- 
ual to  remove  it.  Another  will  take  efficient  and  decided 


MOKAL   DISCIPLINE.  115 

measures,  and  yet  say  very  little  on  the  subject,  and  the  "whole 
evil  will  be  removed  without  suspending  for  a  moment  the 
good-humor  and  pleasant  feeling  which  should  prevail  in 
school. 

The  expression  of  your  displeasure  on  account  of  any  thing 
that  is  wrong  will  seldom  or  never  do  any  good.  The  schol- 
ars consider  it  scolding;  it  is  scolding;  and  though  it  may, 
in  many  cases,  contain  many  sound  arguments  and  eloquent 
expostulations,  it  operates  simply  as  a  punishment.  It  is  un- 
pleasant to  hear  it.  General  instruction  must  indeed  be  given, 
but  not  general  reproof. 

(5.)  Feel  that  in  the  management  of  the  school  you  arc 
under  obligation  as  well  as  the  scholars,  and  let  this  feeling 
appear  in  all  that  you  do.  Your  scholars  wish  you  to  dis- 
miss school  earlier  than  usual  on  some  particular  occasion, 
or  to  allow  them  an  extra  holiday.  Show  by  the  manner  in 
which  you  consider  and  speak  of  the  question  that  your  main 
inquiry  is  what  is  your  duty.  Speak  often  of  your  responsi- 
bility to  your  employers — not  formally,  but  incidentally  and 
naturally,  as  you  will  speak  if  you  feel  this  responsibility. 

It  will  assist  very  much,  too,  in  securing  cheerful,  good- 
humored  obedience  to  the  regulations  of  the  school,  if  you 
extend  their  authority  over  yourself.  Not  that  the  teacher 
is  to  have  no  liberty  from  which  the  scholars  are  debarred ; 
this  Avould  be  impossible.  But  the  teacher  should  submit^ 
himself,  to  every  thing  which  he  requires  of  his  scholars,  un- 
less it  is  in  cases  where  a  different  course  is  necessary. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  a  study-card,  like  the  one  described 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  is  made  so  as  to  mark  the  time  of  re- 
cess and  of  study.  The  teacher,  near  the  close  of  recess,  is 
sitting  with  a  group  of  his  pupils  around  him,  telling  them 
some  story.  They  are  all  interested,  and  they  see  he  is  in- 
terested, lie  looks  at  his  watch,  and  shows  by  his  manner 
that  he  is  desirous  of  finishing  what  he  is  saying,  but  that  he 
knows  that  the  striking  of  the  bell  will  out  short  his  story. 

G 


14G  THE   TEAC1IEK. 

Perhaps  he  says  not  a  word  about  it,  but  his  pupils  sec  that 
he  is  submitting  to  the  control  which  is  placed  over  them ; 
and  when  the  card  goes  up,  and  he  stops  instantly  in  the 
middle  of  his  sentence  and  rises  with  the  rest,  each  one  to  go 
to  his  own  place,  to  engage  at  once  in  their  several  duties, 
he  teaches  them  a  most  important  lesson,  and  in  the  most  ef- 
fectual way.  Such  a  lesson  of  fidelity  and  obedience,  and  such 
an  example  ofit,  will  have  more  influence  than  half  an  hour's 
scolding  about  whispering  without  leave,  or  a  dozen  public 
punishments.  At  least  so  I  found  it,  for  I  have  tried  both. 

Show  then  continually  that  you  see  and  enjoy  the  beauty 
of  system  and  strict  discipline,  and  that  you  submit  to  law 
yourself  as  well  as  require  submission  of  others. 

(6.)  Lead  your  pupils  to  see  that  they  must  share  with  you 
the  credit  or  the  disgrace  which  success  or  failure  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  school  may  bring.  Lead  them  to  feel  this, 
not  by  telling  them  so,  for  there  arc  very  few  things  which 
can  be  impressed  upon  children  by  direct  efforts  to  impress 
them,  but  by  so  speaking  of  the  subject,  from  time  to  time, 
as  to  lead  them  to  see  that  you  understand  it  so. 

Repeat,  with  judicious  caution,  what  is  said  of  the  school, 
both  for  and  against  it,  and  thus  endeavor  to  interest  the 
scholars  in  its  public  reputation.  This  feeling  of  interest  in 
the  institution  may  very  easily  be  awakened.  It  sometimes 
^springs  up  spontaneously,  and,  where  it  is  not  guided  aright 
by  the  teacher,  sometimes  producef"very  bad  effects  upon  the 
minds  of  the  pupils  in  rival  institutions.  When  two  schools 
arc  situated  near  each  other,  evil  consequences  will  result 
from  this  feeling,  unless  the  teacher  manages  it  so  as  to  de- 
duce good  consequences.  I  recollect  that  in  my  boyish  days 
there  was  a  standing  quarrel  between  the  boys  of  a  town 
school  and  an  academy  which  were  in  the  same  village.  We 
were  all  ready  at  any  time,  when  out  of  school,  to  fight  for 
the  honor  of  our  respective  institutions,  each  for  his  own,  but 
very  few  were  ready  to  be  diligent  and  faithful  when  in  it, 


MOKAL    DISCIPLINE.  147 

though  it  would  seem  that  that  might  have  been  rather  a 
more  effectual  means  of  establishing  the  point.  If  the  schol- 
ars are  led  to  understand  that  the  school  is  to  a  great  extent 
their  institution,  that  they  must  assist  to  sustain  its  charac- 
ter, and  that  they  share  the  honor  of  its  excellence,  if  any 
honor  is  acquired,  a  feeling  will  prevail  in  the  school  which 
may  be  turned  to  a  most  useful  account. 

(7.)  In  giving  instruction  on  moral  duty,  the  subject  should 
generally  be  taken  up  in  reference  to  imaginary  cases,  or  cases 
which  are  unknown  to  most  of  the  scholars.  If  this  is  done, 
the  pupils  feel  that  the  object  of  bringing  up  the  subject  is  to 
do  good;  whereas,  if  questions  of  moral  duty  are  only  intro- 
duced from  time  to  time,  when  some  prevailing  or  accidental 
fault  in  school  calls  for  reproof,  the  feeling  will  be  that  the 
teacher  is  only  endeavoring  to  remove  from  his  own  path  a 
source  of  inconvenience  and  trouble.  The  most  successful 
mode  of  giving  general  moral  instruction  that  I  have  known, 
and  which  has  been  adopted  in  many  schools  with  occasional 
variations  of  form,  is  the  following : 

When  the  time  has  arrived,  a  subject  is  assigned,  and 
small  papers  arc  distributed  to  the  Avhole  school,  that  all  may 
write  something  concerning  it.  These  are  then  read  and 
commented  on  by  the  teacher,  and  become  the  occasion  of 
any  remarks  which  he  may  wish  to  make.  The  interest  of 
the  pupils  is  strongly  excited  to  hear  the  papers  read,  and 
the  instruction  which  the  teacher  may  give  produces  a  deeper 
effect  when  ingrafted  thus  upon  something  which  originates 
in  the  minds  of  the  pupils. 

To  take  a  particular  case.  A  teacher  addresses  his  schol- 
ars thus :  "  The  subject  for  the  moral  exercise  to-day  is  Prej- 
udice. Each  one  may  take  one  of  the  papers  which  have 
been  distributed,  and  you  may  write  upon  them  any  thing 
you  please  relating  to  the  subject.  As  many  as  have  thought 
cf  any  tiling  to  write  may  raise  their  hands." 

One  or  two  only  of  the  older  scholars  gave  the  signal. 


148  THE   TEACHER. 

"I  will  mention  the  kinds  of  communications  you  can 
make,  and  perhaps  what  I  say  will  suggest  something  to 
you.  As  fast  as  you  think  of  any  thing,  you  may  raise  your 
hands,  and  as  soon  as  I  see  a  sufficient  number  up,  I  will 
give  directions  to  begin. 

"  You  can  describe  any  case  in  which  you  have  been  prej- 
udiced yourselves  cither  against  persons  or  things." 

Here  a  number  of  the  hands  went  up. 

"  You  can  mention  any  facts  relating  to  antipathies  of  any 
kind,  or  any  cases  where  you  know  other  persons  to  be  prej- 
udiced. You  can  ask  any  questions  in  regard  to  the  subject 
— questions  about  the  nature  of  prejudice,  or  the  causes  of  it, 
or  the  remedy  for  it." 

As  he  said  this,  many  hands  were  successively  raised,  and 
at  last  directions  were  given  for  all  to  begin  to  write.  Five 
minutes  were  alloAved,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  pa- 
pers were  collected  and  read.  The  following  specimens,  tran- 
scribed verbatim  from  the  originals,  with  the  remarks  made 
as  nearly  as  could  be  remembered  immediately  after  the  ex- 
ercise, will  give  an  idea  of  the  ordinary  operation  of  this  plan. 

"  I  am  very  much  prejudiced  against  spiders  and  every  insect  in  the 
known  world  with  scarcely  an  exception.  There  is  a  horrid  sensation 
created  by  their  ugly  forms  that  makes  me  wish  them  all  to  Jericho. 
The  butterfly's  wings  are  pretty,  but  he  is  dreadful  ugly.  There  is  no 
affectation  in  this,  for  my  pride  will  not  permit  me  to  show  this  preju- 
dice to  any  great  degree  when  I  can  help  it.  I  do  not  fear  the  little 
wretches,  but  I  do  hate  them.  ANTI-SIUDEE-SPARER." 

"  This  is  not  expressed  very  well ;  the  phrases  '  to  Jericho' 
and  'dreadful  ugly1  are  vulgar,  and  not  in  good  taste.  Such 
a  dislike,  too,  is  more  commonly  called  an  antipathy  than  a 
prejudice,  though  perhaps  it  comes  under  the  general  head 
of  prejudices." 

"  How  may  we  overcome  prejudice  ?  I  think  that  when  we  arc  prej- 
udiced against  a  person,  it  is  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world  to  over- 
come it." 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.          .  149 

"A  prejudice  is  usually  founded  on  some  unpleasant  as- 
sociation connected  with  the  subject  of  it.  The  best  way  to 
overcome  the  prejudice,  therefore,  is  to  connect  some  pleas- 
ant association  with  it. 

"For  example  (to  take  the  case  of  the  antipathy  to  the 
spider,  alluded  to  in  the  last  article),  the  reason  why  that 
young  lady  dislikes  spiders  is  undoubtedly  because  she  has 
some  unpleasant  idea  associated  with  the  thought  of  that  an- 
imal, perhaps,  for  example,  the  idea  of  their  crawling  upon 
her,  which  is  certainly  not  a  very  pleasant  one  for  any  body. 
Now  the  way  to  correct  such  a  prejudice  is  to  try  to  connect 
some  pleasant  thoughts  with  the  sight  of  the  animal. 

"  I  once  found  a  spider  in  an  empty  apartment  hanging  in 
its  web  on  the  wall,  with  a  large  ball  of  eggs  which  it  had 
suspended  by  its  side.  My  qpmpanion  and  myself  cautiously 
brought  up  a  tumbler  under  the  web,  and  pressed  it  suddenly 
against  the  wall,  so  as  to  inclose  both  spider  and  eggs  within 
it.  We  then  contrived  to  run  in  a  pair  of  shears,  so  as  to 
cut  off  the  web,  and  let  both  the  animal  and  its  treasure  fall 
down  into  the  tumbler.  "We  put  a  book  over  the  top,  and 
walked  off  with  our  prize  to  a  table  to  sec  what  the  spider 
would  do. 

"  At  first  it  tried  to  climb  up  the  side  of  the  tumbler,  but 
its  feet  slipped  on  account  of  the  smoothness  of  the  glass.  Wo 
then  inclined  the  glass  so  as  to  favor  its  climbing,  and  to  en- 
able it  to  reach  the  book  at  the  top.  As  soon  as  it  touched 
the  book,  it  was  safe.  It  could  cling  to  the  book  easily,  and 
we  placed  the  tumbler  again  upright  to  watch  its  motions. 

"  It  attached  a  thread  to  the  book,  and  let  itself  down  by 
it  to  the  bottom  of  the  tumbler,  and  walked  round  and  round 
the  ball  of  eggs,  apparently  in  great  trouble.  Presently  it 
ascended  by  its  thread,  and  then  came  down  again.  It  at- 
tached a  new  thread  to  the  ball,  and  then  went  up,  drawing 
the  ball  with  it.  It  hung  the  ball  at  a  proper  distance  from 
the  book,  and  bound  it  firmly  in  its  place  by  threads  running 


150 


T11E    TEACIIEK. 


from  it  in  every  direction  to  the  parts  of  the  book  which  were, 
near,  and  then  the  animal  took  its  place  quietly  by  its  side. 
"Now  I  do  not  say  that  if  any  body  had  a  strong  antipa- 
thy to  a  spider,  seeing  one  perform  such  a  work  as  this  wouk) 
entirely  remove  it,  but  it  would  certainly  soften  it.  It  would 
tend  to  remove  it.  It  would  connect  an  interesting  and  pleas- 
ant association  with  the  object.  So  if  she  should  watch  a 
spider  in  the  fields  making  his  web.  You  have  all  seen  those 
beautiful  regular  webs  in  the  morning  dew  ("Yes,  sir;" 


"Yes,  sir"),  composed  of  concentric  circles,  and  radii  diverg- 
ing in  every  direction.  ("Yes,  sir.")  Well,  watch  a  spider 
when  making  one  of  these,  or  observe  his  artful  ingenuity 
and  vigilance  Avhen  he  is  lying  in  wait  for  a  fly.  By  thus 
connecting  pleasant  ideas  with  the  sight  of  the  animal,  you 
will  destroy  the  unpleasant  association  which  constitutes  the 
prejudice.  In  the  same  manner,  if  I  wished  to  create  an  an- 
tipathy to  a  spider  in  a  child,  it  would  be  very  easily  done. 
I  would  tie  her  hands  behind  her,  and  put  three  or  four  upon 
her  to  crawl  over  her  face. 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE.  151 

"  Thus  you  must  destroy  prejudices  in  all  cases  by  con- 
necting pleasant  thoughts  and  associations  with  the  objects 
of  them." 

"I  am  very  often  prejudiced  against  new  scholars  without  knowing 
why." 

"  We  sometimes  hear  a  person  talk  in  this  way :  '  I  do  not 
like  such  or  such  a  person  at  all.' 

"'Why?' 

" '  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  I  do  not  like  her  at  all.  I  can't  bear 
her.' 

"  '  But  why  not  ?     What  is  your  objection  to  her  T 

" '  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  I  have  not  any  particular  reason, 
but  I  never  did  like  her.' 

"  Now,  whenever  you  hear  any  person  talk  so,  you  may  be 
sure  that  her  opinion  on  any  subject  is  worth  nothing  at  all. 
She  forms  opinions  in  one  case  without  grounds,  and  it  de- 
pends merely  upon  accident  whether  she  does  or  not  in  other 
cases." 

"  Why  is  it  that  so  many  of  our  countrymen  are,  or  seem  to  be,  prej- 
udiced against  the  unfortunate  children  of  Africa?  Almost  every  large 
white  boy  who  meets  a  small  black  boy  insults  him  in  some  way  or  other.'' 

"  It  is  so  hard  to  overcome  prejudices,  that  we  ought  to  be  careful  how 
we  form  them." 

"  When  I  sec  a  new  scholar  enter  this  school,  and  she  docs  not  hap- 
pen to  suit  me  exactly  in  her  ways  and  manners,  I  very  often  get  prej- 
udiced against  her  ;  though  sometimes  I  find  her  a  valuable  friend  after 
I  get  acquainted  with  her." 

"  There  is  an  inquiry  I  should  like  very  much  to  make, 
though  I  suppose  it  would  not  be  quite  right  to  make  it.  I 
should  like  to  ask  all  those  who  have  some  particular  friend 
in  school,  and  who  can  recollect  the  impression  which  the 
individual  made  upon  them  when  they  first  saw  her,  to  rise, 
and  then  I  should  like  to  inquire  in  how  many  cases  the  first 
impression  was  favorable,  and  in  how  many  unfavorable." 

"Yes,  sir;"  "Yes,  sir." 


152  THE   TEACIIER. 

"  Do  you  mean  you  would  like  to  have  the  inquiry  made?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"All,  then,  who  have  intimate  friends,  and  can  recollect 
the  impression  which  they  first  made  upon  them,  may  rise." 

[About  thirty  rose ;  more  than  two  thirds  of  whom  voted 
that  the  first  impression  made  by  the  persons  who  had  since 
become  their  particular  friends  was  unfavorable.] 

"This  shows  how  much  dependence  you  can  justly  place 
on  first  impressions." 

"  It  was  the  next  Monday  morning  after  I  had  attained  the  wise  ago 
of  four  years  that  I  was  called  up  into  my  mother's  room,  and  told  that 
I  was  the  next  day  going  to  school. 

"  I  called  forth  all  my  reasoning  powers,  and  with  all  the  ability  of  a 
child  of  four  years,  I  reasoned  with  my  mother,  but  to  no  purpose.  I 
told  her  that  I  hated  the  school-mistress  then,  though  I  had  never  seen 
her.  The  very  first  day  I  tottered  under  the  weight  of  the  mighty  fool's- 
cap.  I  only  attended  her  school  two  quarters ;  with  prejudice  I  went, 
and  with  prejudice  I  came  away. 

"  The  old  school-house  is  now  torn  down,  and  a  large  brick  house 
takes  the  place  of  it.  But  I  never  pass  by  without  remembering  my 
teacher.  I  am  prejudiced  to  [against]  the  very  spot." 

"  Is  it  not  right  to  allow  prejudice  to  have  influence  over  our  minds 
as  far  as  this  1  If  any  thing  comes  to  our  knowledge  with  which  wrong 
seems  to  be  connected,  and  one  in  whom  we  have  always  felt  confidence 
is  engaged  in  it,  is  it  not  right  to  allow  our  prejudice  in  favor  of  this 
individual  to  have  so  much  influence  over  us  as  to  cause  us  to  believe 
that  all  is  really  right,  though  every  circumstance  which  has  come  to 
our  knowledge  is  against  such  a  conclusion  1  I  felt  this  influence,  not 
many  weeks  since,  in  a  very  great  degree." 

"  The  disposition  to  judge  favorably  of  a  fraud  in  such  a 
case  would  not  be  prejudice ;  or,  at  least,  if  it  were  so,  it 
would  not  be  a  sufficient  ground  to  justify  us  in  withholding 
blame.  Well-grounded  confidence  in  such  a  person,  if  there 
was  reason  for  it,  ought  to  have  such  an  effect,  but  not  prej- 
udice." 

The  above  may  bo  considered  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  or-. 


MOKAL    DISCIPLINE.  153 

dinary  operation  of  such  an  exercise.  It  is  taken  as  an  illus- 
tration, not  by  selection,  from  the  large  number  of  similar 
exercises  which  I  have  witnessed,  but  simply  because  it  was 
an  exercise  occurring  at  the  time  when  a  description. was  to 
be  written.  Besides  the  articles  quoted  above,  there  were 
thirty  or  forty  others  which  were  read  and  commented  on. 
The  above  will,  however,  be  sufficient  to  give  the  reader  a 
clear  idea  of  the  exercise,  and  to  show  what  is  the  nature  of 
the  moral  effect  it  is  calculated  to  produce. 

The  subjects  which  may  be  advantageously  brought  for- 
ward in  such  a  way  are,  of  course,  very  numerous.  They 
arc  such  as  the  following : 

1.  DUTIES  TO  PARENTS. — Anecdotes  of  good  or  bad  conduct  at  home. 
Questions.    Cases  where  it  is  most  difficult  to  obey.    Dialogues  between 
parents  and  children.     Excuses  which  are  often  made  for  disobedience. 

2.  SELFISHNESS. — Cases  of  selfishness  any  of  the  pupils  have  observed. 
Dialogues  they  have  heard  exhibiting  it.     Questions  about  its  nature. 
Indications  of  selfishness. 

3.  FAULTS  OF  THE  SCHOOL. — Any  bad  practices  the  scholars  may  have 
observed  in  regard  to  general  deportment,  recitations,  habits  of  study, 
or  the  scholars'  treatment  of  one  another.    Each  scholar  may  write  what 
is  his  own  greatest  trouble  in  school,  and  whether  he  thinks  any  thing 
can  be  done  to  remove  it.     Any  thing  they  think  can  be  improved  in 
the  management  of  the  school  by  the  teacher.    Unfavorable  things  they 
have  heard  said  about  it  out  of  school,  though  without  names. 

4.  EXCELLENCES  OF  THE  SCHOOL. — Good  practices  which  ought  to  be 
persevered  in.     Any  little  incidents  the  scholars  may  have  noticed  illus- 
trating good  character.     Cases  which  have  occurred  in  which  scholars 
have  done  right  in  temptation,  or  when  others  around  were  doing  wrong. 
Favorable  reports  in  regard  to  the  school  in  the  community  around. 

5.  THE  SABBATH. — Any  thing  the  scholars  may  have  known  to  be 
done  on  the  Sabbath  which  they  doubt  whether  right  or  wrong.    Ques- 
tions in  regard  to  the  subject.     Various  opinions  they  have  heard  ex- 
pressed.    Difficulties  they  have  in  regard  to  proper  ways  of  spending 
the  Sabbath. 

(8.)  We  have  one  other  method  to  describe  by  which  a 
favorable  moral  influence  may  be  exerted  in  school.  The 
method  can,  however,  go  into  full  effect  only  where  there  arc 

G2 


154  THE   TEACHER. 

several  pupils  who  have  made  considerable  advances  in  men- 
tal cultivation. 

It  is  to  provide  a  way  by  which  teachers  and  pupils  may 
write  anonymously  for  the  school.  This  may  be  done  by 
having  a  place  of  deposit  for  such  articles  as  may  be  written, 
where  any  person  may  leave  what  he  wishes  to  have  read, 
nominating  by  a  memorandum  upon  the  article  itself  the 
reader.  If  a  proper  feeling  on  the  subject  of  good  discipline 
and  the  formation  of  good  character  prevails  in  school,  many 
articles,  which  will  have  a  great  deal  of  effect  upon  the  pu- 
pils, will  find  their  way  through  such  an  avenue  once  opened. 
The  teacher  can  himself  often  bring  forward  in  this  way  his 
suggestions  with  more  effect  than  he  otherwise  could  do. 
Such  a  plan  is,  in  fact,  like  the  plan  of  a  newspaper  for  an 
ordinary  community,  where  sentiments  and  opinions  stand 
on  their  own  basis,  and  influence  the  community  just  in  pro- 
portion to  their  intrinsic  merits,  unassisted  by  the  authority 
of  the  writer's  name,  and  unimpeded  by  any  prejudice  which 
may  exist  against  him. 

The  following  articles,  which  were  really  offered  for  such 
a  purpose  in  the  Mount  Vernon  school,  will  serve  as  speci- 
mens to  illustrate  the  actual  operation  of  the  plan.  One  or 
two  of  them  were  written  by  teachers.  I  do  not  know  the 
authors  of  the  others.  I  do  not  offer  them  as  remarkable 
compositions :  every  teacher  will  see  that  they  arc  not  so. 
The  design  of  inserting  them  is  merely  to  show  that  the  or- 
dinary literary  ability  to  be  found  in  every  school  may  be 
turned  to  useful  account  by  simply  opening  a  channel  for  it, 
and  to  furnish  such  teachers  as  may  be  inclined  to  try  the 
experiment  the  means  of  making  the  plan  clearly  understood 
by  their  pupils. 

MARKS   OF  A  BAD  SCHOLAR. 

"  At  the  time  when  she  should  be  ready  to  take  her  scat 
at  school,  she  commences  preparation  for  leaving  home.  To 


MOKAT,    DISCIPUXK.  155 

the  extreme  annoyance  of  those  about  her,  all  is  now  hurry, 
and  bustle,  and  ill-humor.  Thorough  search  is  to  be  made 
for  every  book  or  paper  for  which  she  has  occasion ;  some 
arc  found  in  one  place,  some  in  another,  and  others  are  for- 
gotten altogether.  Being  finally  equipped,  she  casts  her  eye 
at  the  clock,  hopes  to  be  in  tolerable  good  season  (notwith- 
standing that  the  hour  for  opening  the  school  has  already  ar- 
rived), and  sets  out  in  the  most  violent  hurry. 

"  After  so  much  haste,  she  is  unfitted  for  attending  prop- 
erly to  the  duties  of  the  school  until  a  considerable  time  after 
her  arrival.  If  present  at  the  devotional  exercises,  she  finds 
it  difficult  to  command  her  attention  even  when  desirous  of 
so  doing,  and  her  deportment  at  this  hour  is,  accordingly, 
marked  with  an  unbecoming  listlessncss  and  abstraction. 

"  When  called  to  recitations,  she  recollects  that  some  task 
was  assigned,  which,  till  that  moment,  she  had  forgotten ;  of 
others  she  had  mistaken  the  extent,  most  commonly  thinking 
them  to  be  shorter  than  her  companions  suppose.  In  her 
answers  to  questions  with  which  she  should  be  familiar,  she 
always  manifests  more  or  less  of  hesitation,  and  what  she 
ventures  to  express  is  very  commonly  in  the  form  of  a  ques- 
tion. In  these,  as  in  all  exercises,  there  is  an  inattention  to 
general  instructions.  Unless  what  is  said  be  addressed  par- 
ticularly to  herself,  her  eyes  arc  directed  toward  another  part 
of  the  room ;  it  may  be,  her  thoughts  are  employed  about 
something  not  at  all  connected  with  the  school.  If  reproved 
by  her  teacher  for  negligence  in  any  respects,  she  is  generally 
provided  with  an  abundance  of  excuses,  and  however  mild 
the  reproof,  she  receives  it  as  a  piece  of  extreme  severity. 

"  Throughout  her  whole  deportment  there  is  an  air  of  in- 
dolence and  a  want  of  interest  in  those  exercises  which  should 
engage  her  attention.  In  her  seat,  she  most  commonly  sits 
in  some  lazy  posture — cither  with  her  elbows  upon  her  desk, 
her  head  leaning  upon  her  hands,  or  with  her  seat  tipped  for- 
ward or  backward.  When  she  has  occasion  to  leave  her  seat, 


150  THE   TEACHER. 

it  is  in  a  sauntering,  lingering  gait — perhaps  some  trick  is  con- 
trived on  the  way  for  exciting  the  mirth  of  her  companions. 
"  About  every  thing  in  which  it  is  possible  to  be  so,  she  is 
untidy.  Her  books  are  carelessly  used,  and  placed  in  her 
desk  without  order.  If  she  has  a  piece  of  waste  paper  to 
dispose  of,  she  finds  it  much  more  convenient  to  tear  it  into 
small  pieces  and  scatter  it  about  her  desk,  than  to  put  it  in  a 
proper  place.  Her  hands  and  clothes  arc  usually  covered 
with  ink.  Pier  written  exercises  are  blotted  and  full  of 
mistakes." 

THE  CONSEQUENCES  OF  BEING  BEHINDHAND. 

"The  following  incident,  which  I  witnessed  on  a  late  jour- 
ney, illustrates  an  important  principle,  and  I  will  relate  it. 

"When  our  steam-boat  started  from  the  wharf,  all  our 
passengers  had  not  come.  After  we  had  proceeded  a  few 
yards,  there  appeared  among  the  crowd  on  the  wharf  a  man 
with  his  trunk  under  his  arm,  out  of  breath,  and  with  a 
most  disappointed  and  disconsolate  air.  The  captain  determ- 
ined to  stop  for  him ;  but  stopping  an  immense  steam-boat, 
moving  swiftly  through  the  water,  is  not  to  be  done  in  a 
moment ;  so  we  took  a  grand  sweep,  wheeling  majestically 
around  an  English  ship  which  was  at  anchor  in  the  harbor. 
As  we  came  toward  the  wharf  again,  we  saw  the  man  in  a 
small  boat  coming  off  from  it.  As  the  steam-boat  swept 
round,  they  barely  succeeded  in  catching  a  rope  from  the 
stern,  and  then  immediately  the  steam-engine  began  its  work 
again,  and  we  pressed  forward,  the  little  boat  following  us  so 
swiftly  that  the  water  around  her  was  all  in  a  foam. 

"  They  pulled  upon  the  rope  attached  to  the  little  boat 
until  they  drew  it  alongside.  They  then  let  down  a  rope, 
with  a  hook  in  the  end  of  it,  from  an  iron  crane  which  pro- 
jected over  the  side  of  the  steam-boat,  and  hooked  it  into  a 
staple  in  the  front  of  the  small  boat.  '  Hoist  away  /'  said  the 
captain.  The  sailors  hoisted,  and  the  front  part  of  the  littlo 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  157 

boat  began  to  rise,  the  stern  plowing  and  foaming  through  the 
water,  and  the  man  still  in  it,  with  his  trunk  under  his  arm. 
They  '  hoisted  away'  until  I  began  to  think  that  the  poor 
man  would  actually  tumble  out  behind.  He  clung  to  the 
seat,  and  looked  as  though  he  was  saying  to  himself,  '  I  will 
take  care  how  I  am  tardy  the  next  time.'  However,  after  a 
while,  they  hoisted  up  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  he  got  safely 
on  board. 

"Moral. — Though  coming  to  school  a  few  minutes  eafdier 
or  later  may  not  in  itself  be  a  matter  of  much  consequence, 
yet  the  habit  of  being  five  minutes  too  late,  if  once  formed, 
will,  in  actual  life,  be  a  source  of  great  inconvenience,  and 
sometimes  of  lasting  injury." 

NEW    SCHOLARS. 

"  There  is  at a  young  ladies'  school,  taught  by  Mr. 


"  But,  with  all  these  excellences,  there  is  one  fault,  which 
I  considered  a  great  one,  and  which  does  not  comport  with 
the  general  character  of  the  school  for  kindness  and  good 
feeling.  It  is  the  little  effort  made  by  the  scholars  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  new  ones  who  enter.  Whoever  goes 
there  must  push  herself  forward,  or  she  will  never  feel  at 
home.  The  young  ladies  seem  to  forget  that  the  new-comer 
must  feel  rather  unpleasantly  in  the  midst  of  a  hundred  per- 
sons to  whom  she  is  Avholly  a  stranger,  and  with  no  one  to 
speak  to.  Two  or  three  will  stand  together,  and  instead  of 
deciding  upon  some  plan  by  which  the  individual  may  be 
made  to  feel  at  case,  something  like  the  following  conversa- 
tion takes  place : 

"Miss  X.  How  do  you  like  the  looks  of  Miss  A.,  who  en- 
tered school  to-day? 

"Miss  Y.  I  don't  think  she  is  very  pretty,  but  she  looks  as 
if  she  might  be  a  good  scholar. 


}58  THE   TEACHER. 

"Miss  X.  She  docs  not  strike  me  very  pleasantly.  Did  you 
ever  see  such  a  face?  And  her  complexion  is  so  dark,  I 
should  think  she  had  always  lived  in  the  open  air ;  and  what 
a  queer  voice  she  has ! 

"Miss  Y.  I  wonder  if  she  has  a  taste  for  Arithmetic  ? 

"Miss  X.  She  does  not  look  as  if  she  had  much  taste  for 
any  thing.  See  how  strangely  she  arranges  her  hair ! 

"MissS.  Whether  she  has  much  taste  or  not,  some  one  of 
us  ought  to  go  and  get  acquainted  with  her.  See  how  un- 
pleasantly she  feels! 

"Miss  X.  I  don't  want  to  get  acquainted  with  her  until  I 
know  whether  I  shall  like  her  or  not. 

"  Thus  nothing  is  done  to  relieve  her.  When  she  docs  be- 
come acquainted,  all  her  first  strange  appearance  is  forgotten  ; 
but  this  is  sometimes  not  the  case  for  several  weeks.  It  de- 
pends entirely  on  the  character  of  the  individual  herself.  If 
she  is  forward,  and  willing  to  make  the  necessary  effort,  she 
can  find  many  friends ;  but  if  she  is  diffident,  she  has  much 
to  suffer.  This  arises  principally  from  thoughtlessness.  The 
young  ladies  do  not  seem  to  realize  that  there  is  any  thing 
for  them  to  do.  They  feel  enough  at  home  themselves,  and 
the  remembrance  of  the  time  when  they  entered  school  does 
not  seem  to  arise  in  their  minds." 

A    SATIRICAL   SPIRIT. 

"I  witnessed,  a  short  time  since,  a  meeting  between  two 
friends,  who  had  had  but  little  intercourse  before  for  a  long 
•while.  I  thought  a  part  of  their  conversation  might  be  use- 
ful, and  I  shall  therefore  relate  it,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recol- 
lect, leaving  each  individual  to  draw  her  own  inferences. 

"For  some  time  I  sat  silent,  but  not  uninterested,  while 
the  days  of  '  Auld  Lang  Syne'  came  up  to  the  remembrance 
of  the  two  friends.  After  speaking  of  several  individuals 
who  were  among  their  former  acquaintances,  one  asked,  '  Do 
you  remember  Miss  W.  T  '  Yes,'  replied  the  former.  '  I  re- 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  159 

member  her  as  the  fear,  terror,  and  abhorrence  of  all  who 
knew  her.'  /  knew  the  lady  by  report,  and  asked  why  she 
was  so  regarded.  The  reply  was,  '  Because  she  was  so  se- 
vere, so  satirical  in  her  remarks  upon  others.  She  spared 
neither  friend  nor  foe.' 

"  The  friends  resumed  their  conversation.  '  Did  you  know,' 
said  the  one  who  had  first  spoken  of  Miss  W.,  '  that  she 
sometimes  had  seasons  of  bitter  repentance  for  indulging  in 
this  unhappy  propensity  of  hers  ?  She  would,  at  such  times, 
resolve  to  be  more  on  her  guard,  but,  after  all  her  good  reso- 
lutions, she  would  yield  to  the  slightest  temptations.  When 
she  was  expressing,  and  apparently  really  feeling  sorrow  for 
having  wounded  the  feelings  of  others,  those  who  knew  her 
would  not  venture  to  express  any  sympathy,  for,  very  likely, 
the  next  moment  that  would  be  turned  into  ridicule.  No 
confidence  could  be  placed  in  her.' 

"  A  few  more  facts  Avill  be  stated  respecting  the  same  in- 
dividual, which  I  believe  are  strictly  true.  Miss  W.  pos- 
sessed a  fine  and  well-cultivated  mind,  great  penetration,  and 
a  tact  at  discriminating  character  rarely  equaled.  She  could, 
if  she  chose,  impart  a  charm  to  her  conversation  that  would 
interest  and  even  fascinate  those  who  listened  to  it ;  still,  she 
was  not  beloved.  Weaknesses  and  foibles  met  with  unmer- 
ciful severity,  and  well-meaning  intentions  and  kind  actions 
did  not  always  escape  without  the  keen  sarcasm  which  it  is 
eo  difficult  for  the  best  regulated  mind  to  bear  unmoved. 
The  mild  and  gentle  seemed  to  shrink  from  her;  and  thus  she, 
who  might  have  been  the  bright  and  beloved  ornament  of 
the  circle  in  which  she  moved,  was  regarded  with  distrust, 
fear,  and  even  hatred.  This  dangerous  habit  of  making  sa- 
tirical remarks  was  evinced  in  childhood ;  it  was  cherished  ; 
it  'grew  with  her  growth,  and  strengthened  with  her  strength,' 
until  she  became  what  I  have  described.  LAURA." 

Though  such  a  satirical  spirit  is  justly  condemned,  a  little 


100  THE   TEACI1EU. 

good-humored  raillery  may  sometimes  be  allowed  as  a  mod* 
of  attacking  faults  in  school  which  can  not  be  reached  by 
graver  methods.  The  teacher  must  not  be  surprised  if  some 
things  connected  with  his  own  administration  come  in  some- 
times for  a  share. 

VARIETY. 

"I  was  walking  out  a  few  days  since,  and  not  being  par- 
ticularly in  haste,  I  concluded  to  visit  a  certain  school  for  an 
hour  or  two.  In  a  few  minutes  after  I  had  seated  myself  on 
the  sofa,  the  '  Study  Card"  was  dropped,  and  the  general  noise 
and  confusion  indicated  that  recess  had  arrived.  A  line  of 
military  characters,  bearing  the  title  of  the '  Freedom's  Band,' 
was  soon  called  out,  headed  by  one  of  their  own  number. 
The  tune  chosen  to  guide  them  was  Kendall's  March. 

" '  Please  to  form  a  regular  line,'  said  the  lady  commander. 
'  Remember  that  there  is  to  be  no  speaking  in  the  ranks.  Do 
not  begin  to  step  until  I  strike  the  bell.  Miss  B.,  I  request- 
ed you  not  to  step  until  I  gave  the  signal.' 

"Presently  the  command  was  given,  and  the  whole  line 
stepped  for  a  few  minutes  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  Again 
the  bell  sounded.  '  Some  of  you  have  lost  the  step,'  said  the 
general.  ' Look  at  me,  and  begin  again.  Left!  right!  left! 
right!'  The  line  was  once  more  in  order,  and  I  observed  a 
new  army  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  performing  the 
same  manoeuvres,  always  to  the  tune  of  '  Kendall's  March.' 
After  a  time  the  recess  closed,  and  order  was  again  restored. 
In  about  half  an  hour  I  approached  a  class  which  was  recit- 
ing behind  the  railing.  'Miss  A.,'  said  a  teacher,  'how many 
kinds  of  magnitude  arc  there  ?'  Miss  A.  (Answer  inaudible.) 
Several  voices.  '  We  can't  hear.'  Teacher.  '  Will  you  try  to 
speak  a  little  louder,  Miss  A.  ?' 

"  Some  of  the  class  at  length  seemed  to  guess  the  meaning 
of  the  young  lady,  but  /  was  unable  to  do  even  that  until 
the  answer  was  repeated  by  the  teacher.  Finding  that  I 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE.  1G1 

should  derive  little  instruction  from  the  recitation,  I  returned 
to  the  sofa. 

"In  a  short  time  the  propositions  were  read.  'Proposed, 
that  the  committee  be  impeached  for  not  providing  suitable 
pens.'  '  Lost,  a  pencil,  with  a  piece  of  India-rubber  attached 
to  it  by  a  blue  ribbon,'  &c.,  &c. 

"Kecess  was  again  announced,  and  the  lines  commenced 
their  evolutions  to  the  tune  of  '  Kendall's  March.'  Thought 
I,  '  Oh  that  there  Averc  a  new  tune  under  the  sun !' 

"  Before  the  close  of  school  some  compositions  were  read. 
One  Avas  entitled  'The  Magic  King,'  and  commenced,  'As  I 
was  sitting  alone  last  evening,  I  heard  a  gentle  tap  on  the 
door,  and  immediately  a  beautiful  fairy  appeared  before  me. 
She  placed  a  ring  on  my  finger,  and  left  me.'  The  next  be- 
gan, '  It  is  my  week  to  write  composition,  but  I  do  not  know 
what  to  say.  However,  I  must  write  something,  so  it  shall 
be  a  dialogue.'  Another  was  entitled  the  'Magical  Shoe,' 
and  contained  a  marvelous  narration  of  adventures  made  in 
a  pair  of  shoes  more  valuable  than  the  far-famed  '  seven- 
league  boots.'  A  fourth  began,  'Are  you  acquainted  with 
that  new  scholar  T  '  No ;  but  I  don't  believe  I  shall  like 
her.'  And  soon  the  'Magical  Thimble,'  the  'Magical  Eye- 
glass,' &c.,  were  read  in  succession,  until  I  could  not  but  ex- 
claim, '  How  pleasing  is  variety !'  School  was  at  length 
closed,  and  the  young  ladies  again  attacked  the  piano.  '  Oh,' 
repeated  I  to  myself,  '  how  pleasing  is  variety  /'  as  I  left  the 
room  to  the  tune  of  Kendall's  March." 

By  means  like  these,  and  others  similar  to  them,  it  will 
not  be  difficult  for  any  teacher  to  obtain  so  far  an  ascendency 
over  the  minds  of  his  pupils  as  to  secure  an  overwhelming 
majority  in  favor  of  good  order  and  co-operation  with  him 
in  his  plans  for  elevating  the  character  of  the  school.  But 
let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  this,  and  this  only,  has 
been  the  object  of  this  chapter  thus  far.  The  first  point 


102  THE   TEACHER. 

brought  up  was  the  desirableness  of  making  at  first  a  favor- 
able impression  ;  the  second,  the  necessity  of  taking  general 
views  of  the  condition  of  the  school,  and  aiming  to  improve 
it  in  the  mass,  and  not  merely  to  rebuke  or  punish  accidental 
faults  ;  and  the  third,  the  importance  and  the  means  of  gain- 
ing a  general  influence  and  ascendency  over  the  minds  of  the 
pupils.  But,  though  an  overwhelming  majority  can  be  reach- 
ed by  such  methods  as  these,  all  can  not.  We  must  have  the 
majority  secured,  however,  in  order  to  enable  us  to  reach  and 
to  reduce  the  others.  But  to  this  work  we  must  come  at  last. 
4.  I  am,  therefore,  now  to  consider,  under  a  fourth  gener- 
al head,  what  course  is  to  be  taken  with  individual  offenders 
whom  the  general  influences  of  the  school-room  will  not  con- 
trol. 

The  teacher  must  always  expect  that  there  will  be  such 
cases.  They  arc  always  to  be  found  in  the  best  and  most 
skillfully-managed  schools.  The  following  suggestions  will 
perhaps  assist  the  teacher  in  dealing  with  them. 

(1.)  The  first  point  to  be  attended  to  is  to  ascertain  who 
they  are.  Not  by  appearing  suspiciously  to  Avatch  any  in- 
dividuals, for  this  would  be  almost  sufficient  to  make  them 
bad,  if  they  were  not  so  before.  Observe,  however ;  notice, 
from  day  to  day,  the  conduct  of  individuals,  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reproving  or  punishing  their  faults,  but  to  enable  you 
to  understand  their  characters.  This  work  will  often  require 
great  adroitness  and  very  close  scrutiny,  and  you  will  find, 
as  the  results  of  it,  a  considerable  variety  of  character,  which 
the  general  influences  above  described  will  not  be  sufficient 
to  control.  The  number  of  individuals  will  not  be  great, 
but  the  diversity  of  character  comprised  in  it  will  be  such  as 
to  call  into  exercise  all  your  powers  of  vigilance  and  discrim- 
ination. On  one  seat  you  will  find  a  coarse,  rough-looking 
boy,  who  openly  disobeys  your  commands  and  opposes  your 
wishes  while  in  school,  and  makes  himself  a  continual  source 
of  trouble  and  annoyance  during  play-hours  by  bullying  and 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE. 


1G3 


hectoring  every  gentle  and  timid  schoolmate.  On  another 
sits  a  more  sly  rogue,  whose  demure  and  submissive  look  is 
assumed  to  conceal  a  mischief-making  disposition.  Here  is 
one  whose  giddy  spirit  is  always  leading  him  into  difficulty, 
but  who  is  of  so  open  and  frank  a  disposition  that  you  will 
most  easily  lead  him  back  to  duty ;  but  there  is  another  who, 
when  reproved,  will  fly  into  a  passion ;  and  then  a  third, 
who  will  stand  sullen  and  silent  before  you  when  he  has  done 
wrong,  and  is  not  to  be  touched  by  kindness  nor  awed  by 
authority. 

Now  all  these  characters  must  be  studied.  It  is  true  that 
the  caution  given  in  a  preceding  part  of  this  chapter,  against 
devoting  undue  and  disproportionate  attention  to  such  per- 
sons, must  not  be  forgotten.  Still,  these  individuals  will  re- 
quire, and  it  is  right  that  they  should  receive,  a  far  greater 
degree  of  attention,  so  far  as  the  moral  administration  of  the 
school  is  concerned,  than  their  mere  numbers  would  appear 
to  justify.  This  is  the  field  in  which  the  teacher  is  to  study 
human  nature,  for  here  it  shows  itself  without  disguise.  It 
is  through  this  class,  too,  that  a  very  powerful  moral  influ- 
ence is  to  be  exerted  upon  the  rest  of  the  school.  The  man- 
ner in  which  such  individuals  are  managed,  the  tone  the 
teacher  assumes  toward  them,  the  gentleness  with  which  he 
speaks  of  their  faults,  and  the  unbending  decision  with  which 


104  THE    TEACHER. 

he  restrains  them  from  wrong,  will  have  a  most  powerful 
effect  upon  the  rest  of  the  school.  That  he  may  occupy  this 
field,  therefore,  to  the  best  advantage,  it  is  ncccssaiy  that  he 
should  first  thoroughly  explore  it. 

By  understanding  the  dispositions  and  characters  of  such  a 
class  of  pupils  as  I  have  described,  I  do  not  mean  merely 
watching  them  with  vigilance  in  school,  so  that  none  of  their 
transgressions  shall  go  unobserved  and  unpunished.  I  intend 
a  far  deeper  and  more  thorough  examination  of  character. 
Every  boy  has  something  or  other  which  is  good  in  his  dis- 
position and  character  which  he  is  aware  of,  and  on  which 
he  prides  himself;  find  out  what  it  is,  for  it  may  often  be 
made  the  foundation  on  which  you  may  build  the  superstruct- 
ure of  reform.  Every  one  has  his  peculiar  sources  of  enjoy- 
ment and  objects  of  pursuit,  which  are  before  his  mind  from 
day  to  day.  Find  out  what  they  are,  that  by  taking  an  in- 
terest in  what  interests  him,  and  perhaps  sometimes  assisting 
him  in  his  plans,  you  can  bind  him  to  you.  Every  boy  is, 
from  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is  placed  at  home,  ex- 
posed to  temptations  which  have  perhaps  had  far  greater  in- 
fluence in  the  formation  of  his  character  than  any  deliberate 
and  intentional  depravity  of  his  own ;  ascertain  what  these 
temptations  are,  that  you  may  know  where  to  pity  him  and 
where  to  blame.  The  knowledge  which  such  an  examination 
of  character  will  give  you,  will  not  be  confined  to  making  you 
acquainted  with  the  individual.  It  will  be  the  most  valuable 
knowledge  which  a  man  can  possess,  both  to  assist  him  in  the 
general  administration  of  the  school  and  in  his  intercourse 
among  mankind  in  the  business  of  life.  Men  arc  but  boy?, 
only  with  somewhat  loftier  objects  of  pursuit.  Their  prin- 
ciples, motives,  and  ruling  passions  are  essentially  the  same. 
Extended  commercial  speculations  arc,  so  far  as  the  human 
heart  is  concerned,  substantially  what  trading  in  jack-knives 
and  toys  is  at  school,  and  building  a  snow  fort,  to  its  own 
architects,  the  same  as  erecting  a  monument  of  marble. 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  1G5 

(2.)  After  exploring  the  ground,  the  first  thing  to  be  done 
as  a  preparation  for  reforming  individual  character  in  school 
is  to  secure  the  personal  attachment  of  the  individuals  to  be 
reformed.  This  must  not  be  attempted  by  professions  and 
affected  smiles,  and  still  less  by  that  sort  of  obsequiousness, 
common  in  such  cases,  which  produces  no  effect  but  to  make 
the  bad  boy  suppose  that  his  teacher  is  afraid  of  him ;  which, 
by  the  way,  is,  in  fact,  in  such  cases,  usually  true.  Approach 
the  pupil  in  a  bold  and  manly,  but  frank  and  pleasant  man- 
ner. Approach  him  as  his  superior,  but  still  as  his  friend ; 
desirous  to  make  him  happy,  not  merely  to  obtain  his  good- 
will. And  the  best  way  to  secure  these  appearances  is  just 
to  secure  the  reality.  Actually  be  the  boy's  friend.  Really 
desire  to  make  him  happy — happy,  too,  in  his  own  way,  not 
in  yours.  Feel  that  you  are  his  superior,  and  that  you  must 
and  will  enforce  obedience;  but  with  this,  feel  that  probably 
obedience  will  be  rendered  without  any  contest.  If  these  are 
really  the  feelings  which  reign  within  you,  the  boy  will  sec 
it,  and  they  will  exert  a  strong  influence  over  him ;  but  you 
can  not  counterfeit  appearances. 

A  most  effectual  way  to  secure  the  good- will  of  a  scholar 
is  to  ask  him  to  assist  you.  The  Creator  has  so  formed  the 
human  heart  that  doing  good  must  be  a  source  of  pleasure, 
and  he  who  tastes  this  pleasure  once  will  almost  always  Avish 
to  taste  it  again.  To  do  good  to  any  individual  creates  or 
increases  the  desire  to  do  it. 

There  is  a  boy  in  your  school  who  is  famous  for  his  skill 
in  making  whistles  from  the  green  branches  of  the  poplar, 
lie  is  a  bad  boy,  and  likes  to  turn  his  ingenuity  to  purposes 
of  mischief.  You  observe  him  some  day  in  school,  when  he 
thinks  your  attention  is  engaged  in  another  way,  blowing 
softly  upon  one  which  he  has  concealed  in  his  desk  for  the 
purpose  of  amusing  his  neighbors  without  attracting  the  at- 
tention of  the  teacher.  Now  there  arc  two  remedies.  Will 
you  try  the  physical  one?  Then  call  him  out  into  the  floor, 


I  GO  THE   TEACHER. 

inflict  painful  punishment,  and  send  him  smarting  to  his 
seat,  with  his  heart  full  of  anger  and  revenge,  to  plot  some 
new  and  less  dangerous  scheme  of  annoyance.  Will  you  try 
the  moral  one  1  Then  wait  till  the  recess,  and  while  he  is 
out  at  his  play,  send  a  message  out  by  another  boy,  saying 
that  you  have  heard  he  is  very  skillful  in  making  whistles, 
and  asking  him  to  make  one  for  you  to  carry  home  to  a  lit- 
tle child  at  your  boarding-house.  What  would,  in  ordinary 
cases,  be  the  effect?  It  would  certain '.y  be  a  very  simple 
application,  but  its  effect  would  be  to  open  an  entirely  new 
train  of  thought  and  feeling  for  the  boy.  "What!"  he  would 
say  to  himself,  while  at  work  on  his  task,  "give  the  master 
pleasure  by  making  whistles  I  Who  would  have  conceived 
of  it  ?  I  never  thought  of  any  thing  but  giving  him  trouble 
and  pain.  I  wonder  who  told  him  I  could  make  whistles'?" 
lie  would  find,  too,  that  the  new  enjoyment  was  far  higher 
and  purer  than  the  old,  and  would  have  little  disposition  to 
return  to  the  latter. 

I  do  not  mean  by  this  illustration  that  such  a  measure  as 
this  would  be  the  only  notice  that  ought  to  be  taken  of  such 
an  act  of  willful  disturbance  in  school.  Probably  it  would 
not.  What  measures  in  direct  reference  to  the  fault  com- 
mitted would  be  necessary  would  depend  upon  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case.  It  is  not  necessary  to  our  purpose  that 
they  should  be  described  here. 

The  teacher  can  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  his  pupils  a  per- 
sonal attachment  for  him  by  asking  in  various  ways  their  as- 
sistance in  school,  and  then  appearing  honestly  gratified  with 
the  assistance  rendered.  Boys  and  girls  are  delighted  to  have 
what  powers  and  attainments  they  possess  brought  out  into 
action,  especially  where  they  can  lead  to  useful  results.  They 
love  to  be  of  some  consequence  in  the  world,  and  will  be  es- 
pecially gratified  to  be  able  to  assist  their  teacher.  Even  if 
the  studies  of  a  turbulent  boy  arc  occasionally  interrupted 
fur  half  an  hour,  that  he  might  help  you  arrange  paper?,  or 


MORAL   DISCIPLINE.  107 

rule  books,  or  distribute  exercises,  it  will  be  time  well  spent. 
Get  him  to  co-operate  with  you  in  any  thing,  and  he  will 
feel  how  much  more  pleasant  it  is  to  co-operate  than  to 
thwart  and  oppose;  and,  by  judicious  measures  of  this  kind, 
almost  any  boy  may  be  brought  over  to  your  side. 

Another  means  of  securing  the  personal  attachment  of 
boys  is  to  notice  them,  to  take  an  interest  in  their  pursuits, 
and  the  qualities  and  powers  which  they  value  in  one  an- 
other. It  is  astonishing  what  an  influence  is  exerted  by  such 
little  circumstances  as  stopping  at  a  play-ground  a  moment 
to  notice  with  interest,  though  perhaps  without  saying  a 
word,  speed  of  running,  or  exactness  of  aim,  the  force  with 
which  a  ball  is  struck,  or  the  dexterity  with  which  it  is 
caught  or  thrown.  The  teacher  must,  indeed,  in  all  his  in- 
tercourse with  his  pupils,  never  forget  his  station,  nor  allow 
them  to  lay  aside  the  respect,  without  which  authority  can 
not  be  maintained.  But  he  may  be,  notwithstanding  this, 
on  the  most  intimate  and  familiar  footing  with  them  all.  He 
may  take  a  strong  and  open  interest  in  all  then:  enjoyments, 
and  thus  awaken  on  their  part  a  personal  attachment  to  him- 
self, which  will  exert  over  them  a  constant  and  powerful 
control. 

(3.)  The  efforts  described  under  the  last  head  for  gaining 
a  personal  influence  over  those  who,  from  their  disposition 
and  character,  arc  most  in  danger  of  doing  wrong,  will  not  be 
sufficient  entirely  to  prevent  transgression.  Cases  of  delib- 
erate, intentional  wrong  will  occur,  and  the  question  will 
rise,  What  is  the  duty  of  the  teacher  in  such  an  emergency? 
"When  such  cases  occur,  the  course  to  be  taken  is,  first  of  all, 
to  come  to  a  distinct  understanding  on  the  subject  with  the 
guilty  individual.  Think  of  the  case  calmly,  until  you  have 
obtained  just  and  clear  ideas  of  it.  Endeavor  to  understand 
precisely  in  what  the  guilt  of  it  consists.  Notice  every  pal- 
liating circumstance,  and  take  as  favorable  a  view  of  the 
thing  as  you  can,  while,  at  the  same  time,  you  fix  most  firm- 


1G8  THE   TEACHER. 

ly  in  your  mind  the  determination  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  Then 
go  to  the  individual,  and  lay  the  subject  before  him,  for  the 
purpose  of  understanding  distinctly  from  his  own  lips  what 
he  intends  to  do.  I  can,  however,  as  usual,  explain  more 
fully  what  I  mean  by  describing  a  particular  case,  substan- 
tially true. 

The  teacher  of  a  school  observed  himself,  and  learned  from 
several  quarters,  that  a  certain  boy  was  in  the  habit  of  caus- 
ing disturbance  during  time  of  prayer,  at  the  opening  and 
close  of  school,  by  whispering,  playing,  making  gestures  to 
the  other  boys,  and  throwing  things  about  from  scat  to  scat. 
The  teacher's  first  step  was  to  speak  of  the  subject  generally 
before  the  whole  school,  not  alluding,  however,  to  any  par- 
ticular instance  which  had  come  under  his  notice.  These 
general  remarks  produced,  as  he  expected,  but  little  effect. 

lie  waited  for  some  days,  and  the  difficulty  still  continued. 
Had  the  irregularity  been  very  great,  it  would  have  been  nec- 
essary to  have  taken  more  immediate  measures,  but  he  thought 
the  case  admitted  of  a  little  delay.  In  the  mean  time,  he 
took  pains  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  the  boy,  to  die- 
cover,  and  to  show  that  he  noticed,  what  was  good  in  his 
character  and  conduct,  occasionally  to  ask  some  assistance 
from  him,  and  thus  to  gain  some  personal  ascendency  over  him. 

One  day,  when  every  thing  had  gone  smoothly  and  pros- 
perously, the  teacher  told  the  boy,  at  the  close  of  the  school, 
that  he  wished  to  talk  with  him  a  little,  and  asked  him  to 
walk  home  with  him.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  teach- 
er to  associate  thus  with  his  pupils  out  of  school,  and  this  re- 
quest, accordingly,  attracted  no  special  attention.  On  the 
walk  the  teacher  thus  accosted  the  criminal : 

"  Do  you  like  frank,  open  dealing,  James  *?" 

James  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  answered,  faintly, 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Most  boys  do,  and  I  do,  and  I  supposed  that  you  would 
prefer  being  treated  in  that  way.  Do  you?'' 


MOKAL   DISCIPLINE.  1G9 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  one  of  your  faults.  I 
have  asked  you  to  walk  with  me,  because  I  supposed  it  would 
be  more  agreeable  for  you  to  have  me  see  you  privately  than 
to  bring  it  up  in  school." 

James  said  it  would  be  more  agreeable. 

"  Well,  the  fault  is  being  disorderly  at  prayer-time.  Now, 
if  you  like  frank  and  open  dealing,  and  are  willing  to  deal  so 
with  me,  I  should  like  to  talk  with  you  a  little  about  it,  but 
if  you  are  not  willing,  I  Avill  dismiss  the  subject.  I  do  not 
wish  to  talk  with  you  now  about  it  unless  you  yourself  de- 
sire it ;  but  if  we  talk  at  all,  ws  must  both  be  open,  and 
honest,  and  sincere.  Now,  should  you  rather  have  me  talk 
with  you  or  not?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  should  rather  have  you  talk  with  me  now 
than  in  school." 

The  teacher  then  described  his  conduct  in  a  mild  manner, 
using  the  stylo  of  simple  narration,  admitting  no  harsh  epi- 
thets, no  terms  of  reproach.  The  boy  was  surprised,  for  he 
supposed  that  he  had  not  been  noticed.  lie  thought,  per- 
haps, that  he  should  have  been  punished  if  he  had  been  ob- 
served. The  teacher  said,  in  conclusion, 

"Now,  James,  I  do  not  suppose  you  have  done  this  from 
any  designed  irreverence  toward  God,  or  deliberate  intention 
of  giving  me  trouble  and  pain.  You  have  several  times  late- 
ly assisted  me  in  various  ways,  and  I  know,  from  the  cheerful 
manner  with  which  you  comply  with  my  wishes,  that  your 
prevailing  desire  is  to  give  me  pleasure,  not  pain.  You  have 
fallen  into  this  practice  through  thoughtlessness,  but  that 
does  not  alter  the  character  of  the  sin.  To  do  so  is  a  great 
sin  against  God,  and  a  great  offense  against  good  order  in 
school.  You  see,  yourself,  that  my  duty  to  the  school  will 
require  me  to  adopt  the  most  decided  measures  to  prevent 
the  continuance  and  the  spread  of  such  a  practice.  I  should 
b.>  imperiously  bound  (o  do  it,  even  if  the  individual  was  the 

II 


170  THE   TEACHER. 

very  best  friend  I  had  in  school,  and  if  the  measures  neces- 
sary should  .bring  upon  him  great  disgrace  and  suffering.  Do 
you  not  think  it  would  be  so '?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  James,  seriously,  "I  suppose  it  would." 

"I  wish  to  remove  the  evil,  however,  in  the  plcasantest 
way.  Do  you  remember  my  speaking  on  this  subject  in 
school  the  other  day  *?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  my  object  in  what  I  said  then  was  almost  entirely 
to  persuade  you  to  reform  without  having  to  speak  to  you 
directly.  I  thought  it  would  be  pleasanter  to  you  to  be  re- 
minded of  your  duty  in  that  v/ay.  But  I  do  not  think  it  did 
you  much  good.  Did  it  ?" 

<<I  don't  think  I  have  played  so  much  since  then." 

"Nor  I.  You  have  improved  a  little,  but  you  have  not 
decidedly  and  thoroughly  reformed.  So  I  was  obliged  to 
take  the  next  step  which  would  be  least  unpleasant  to  you, 
that  is,  talking  with  you  alone.  Now  you  told  me  when 
we  began  that  you  would  deal  honestly  and  sincerely  with 
me,  if  I  would  with  you.  I  have  been  honest  and  open.  I 
have  told  you  all  about  it  so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  Now 
I  wish  you  to  be  honest,  and  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to 
do.  If  you  think,  from  this  conversation,  that  you  have  done 
wrong,  and  if  you  are  fully  determined  to  do  so  no  more,  and 
to  break  off  at  once,  and  forever,  from  this  practice,  I  should 
like  to  have  you  tell  me,  and  then  the  whole  thing  will  be 
settled.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  feel  about  it  pretty  much 
as  you  have  done,  I  should  like  to  have  you  tell  me  that  too, 
honestly  and  frankly,  that  we  may  have  a  distinct  understand- 
ing, and  that  I  may  be  considering  what  to  do  next.  I  shall 
not  be  offended  with  you  for  giving  me  either  of  these  answers, 
but  be  sure  that  you  are  honest ;  you  promised  to  be  so." 

The  boy  looked  up  in  his  master's  face,  and  said,  with  great 
earnestness, 

"  Mr.  T,,  I  will  do  better.    I  will  not  trouble  you  any  more." 


MORAL  DISCIPLINE.  171 

I  have  detailed  this  case  thus  particularly  because  it  ex- 
hibits cle.arly  what  I  mean  by  going  directly  and  frankly  to 
the  individual,  and  coming  at  once  to  a  full  understanding. 
In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  this  course  will  be  effectual.  For 
four  years,  with  a  very  large  school,  I  found  this  sufficient 
in  every  case  of  discipline  which  occurred,  except  in  three 
or  four  instances,  where  something  more  was  required.  To 
make  it  successful,  however,  the  work  must  be  done  proper- 
ly. Several  things  are  necessary.  It  must  be  deliberate ; 
generally  better  after  a  little  delay.  It  must  be  indulgent,  ?o 
far  as  the  view  which  the  teacher  takes  of  the  guilt  of  the 
pupil  is  concerned ;  every  palliating  consideration  must  be 
felt.  It  must  be  firm  and  decided  in  regard  to  the  necessity 
of  a  change,  and  the  determination  of  the  teacher  to  effect  it. 
It  must  also  be  open  and  frank;  no  insinuations,  no  hints, 
no  surmises,  but  plain,  honest,  open  dealing. 

In  many  cases  the  communication  may  be  made  most  deli- 
cately and  most  successfully  in  writing.  The  more  delicately 
you  touch  the  feelings  of  your  pupils,  the  more  tender  these 
feelings  will  become.  Many  a  teacher  hardens  and  stupefies 
the  moral  sense  of  his  pupils  by  the  harsh  and  rough  expo- 
sures to  which  he  drags  out  the  private  feelings  of  the  heart. 
A  man  may  easily  produce  such  a  state  of  feeling  in  his  school- 
room, that  to  address  even  the  gentlest  reproof  to  any  indi- 
vidual, in  the  hearing  of  the  next,  would  be  a  most  severe 
punishment ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  he  may  so  destroy  that 
sensitiveness  that  his  vociferated  reproaches  will  be  as  un- 
heeded as  the  idle  wind. 

If,  now,  the  teacher  has  taken  the  course  recommended  in 
this  chapter — if  he  has,  by  his  general  influence  in  the  school, 
done  all  in  his  power  to  bring  the  majority  of  his  pupils  to 
the  side  of  order  and  discipline — if  he  has  then  studied,  atten- 
tively and  impartially,  the  characters  of  those  "who  can  not 
thus  be  led — if  he  has  endeavored  to  make  them  his  friends, 
and  to  acquire,  by  every  means,  a  personal  influence  over 


172  THE   TEACI1E1I. 

t}icm — if}  finally,  when  they  do  wrong,  lie  goes  plainly,  but  in 
a  gentle  and  delicate  manner,  to  them,  and  lays  before  them 
the  whole  case — if  he  has  done  all  this,  he  has  gone  as  far  as 
moral  influence  will  carry  him.  My  opinion  is,  that  this 
course,  faithfully  and  judiciously  pursued,  will,  in  almost  all 
instances,  succeed  ;  but  it  will  not  in  all ;  and  where  it  fails, 
there  must  be  other,  and  more  vigorous  and  decided  measures. 
What  these  measures  of  restraint  or  punishment  shall  be  must 
depend  upon  the  circumstances  of  the  case ;  but  in  resorting 
to  them,  the  teacher  must  be  decided  and  unbending. 

The  course  above  recommended  is  not  trying  lax  and  in- 
efficient measures  for  a  long  time  in  hopes  of  their  being  ulti- 
mately successful,  and  then,  when  they  arc  found  not  to  be  so, 
changing  the  policy.  There  should  be,  through  the  whole, 
the  tone  and  manner  of  authority,  not  of  iwrsuasion.  The 
teacher  must  be  a  monarch,  and,  while  he  is  gentle  and  for- 
bearing, always  looking  on  the  favorable  side  of  conduct  so 
far  as  guilt  is  concerned ;  he  must  have  an  eagle  eye  and  an 
efficient  hand,  so  far  as  relates  to  arresting  the  evil  and  stop- 
ping the  consequences.  Ho  may  slowly  and  cautiously,  and 
even  tenderly,  approach  a  delinquent.  He  may  be  several 
days  in  gathering  around  him  the  circumstances  of  which  he 
is  ultimately  to  avail  himself  in  bringing  him  to  submission ; 
but,  while  he  proceeds  thus  slowly  and  tenderly,  he  must 
come  with  the  air  of  authority  and  power.  The  fact  that 
the  teacher  bases  all  his  plans  on  the  idea  of  his  ultimate 
authority  in  every  case  may  be  perfectly  evident  to  all  the 
pupils,  while  he  proceeds  with  moderation  and  gentleness  in 
all  his  specific  measures.  Let  it  be  seen,  then,  that  the  con- 
stitution of  your  school  is  a  monarchy,  absolute  and  unlimit- 
ed ;  but  let  it  also  be  seen  that  the  one  who  holds  the  power 
is  himself  under  the  control  of  moral  principle  in  all  that  he 
does,  and  that  he  endeavors  to  make  the  Fame  moral  princi- 
ple which  guides  him  go  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  make  it 
go  in  the  government  of  his  subjects. 


RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE. 


173 


CHAPTER  V. 

RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE. 

N  consequence 
of  the  unex- 
ampled relig- 
ious freedom 
possessed  in 
this  country, 
for  which  it  is 
happily  distin- 
KJP  i. '.\  •  '"\  mi ished  above 

SUSSP^'?' 

|pp>~-"/"~          all  other  coun- 
3^"~'       tries    on    the 

^C!**^.^*^  • 

face  of  the  earth,  there 
necessarily  results  a  vast  va- 
riety of  religious  sentiment 

;   /'     ' -r^'-:  if'  ""~    and  action.     We  can  not  enjoy  the 
."'••*.*.  I  %f       ^  blessings  without  the  inconveniences  of  frec- 
/  '>-'r'),  ..;'•')'':   dom.    Where  every  man  is  allowed  to  believe 
«  I   i  '  .'  as  he  pleases,  some  will,  undoubtedly,  believe 
|Vij   ;    »  '  wrong,  and  others  will  be  divided,  by  cmbrac- 
V'i ,    j)  ing  views  of  a  subject  which  are  different,  though 
!      I    perhaps  equally  consistent  with  truth.     Hence  we 
have  among  us  every  shade  and  every  variety  of  religious 
opinion,  and,  in  many  cases,  contention  and  strife,  resulting 
from  hopeless  efforts  to  produce  uniformity. 

A  stranger  who  should  come  among  us  would  suppose, 
from  the  tone  of  our  religious  journals,  and  from  the  general 
aspect  of  society  on  the  subject  of  religion,  that  the  whole 
community  was  divided  into  a  thousand  contending  sects, 


174  THE   TEACI1EK. 

who  hold  nothing  in  common,  and  whose  sole  objects  are  the 
annoyance  and  destruction  of  each  other.  But  if  we  leave 
out  of  view  some  hundreds,  or,  if  you  please,  some  thousands 
of  theological  controversialists  who  manage  the  public  dis- 
cussions, and  say  and  do  all  that  really  comes  before  the  pub- 
lic on  this  subject,  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  vastly  more 
religious  truth  admitted  by  common  consent  among  the  peo- 
ple of  New  England  than  is  generally  supposed.  This  com- 
mon ground  I  shall  endeavor  briefly  to  describe ;  for  it  is 
very  plain  that  the  teacher  must,  in  ordinary  cases,  confine 
himself  to  it.  By  common  consent,  however,  I  do  not  mean 
the  consent  of  every  body ;  I  mean  that  of  the  great  majority 
of  serious,  thinking  men. 

But  let  us  examine  first,  for  a  moment,  what  right  any 
member  of  the  community  has  to  express  and  to  disseminate 
his  opinions  with  a  view  to  the  inquiry  whether  the  teacher 
is  really  bound  to  confine  himself  to  what  he  can  do  on  this 
subject  with  the  common  consent  of  his  employers. 

The  various  monarchical  nations  of  Europe  have  been  for 
many  years,  as  is  well  known,  strongly  agitated  with  ques- 
tions of  politics.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  public  tranquillity 
is  preserved.  Every  man  takes  sides.  Now,  in  this  state  of 
things,  a  wealthy  gentleman  residing  in  one  of  these  coun- 
tries is  opposed  to  the  revolutionary  projects  so  constantly 
growing  up  there,  and  being,  both  from  principle  and  feeling, 
strongly  attached  to  monarchical  government,  wishes  to  bring 
up  his  children  with  the  same  feelings  which  he  himself  cher- 
ishes. He  has  a  right  to  do  so.  No  matter  if  his  opinions 
are  wrong.  He  ought,  it  will  be  generally  supposed  in  this 
country,  to  be  republican.  I  suppose  him  to  adopt  opinions 
which  will  generally,  by  my  readers,  be  considered  wrong,  that 
I  may  bring  more  distinctly  to  view  the  right  he  has  to  edu- 
cate his  children  as  he  thinte  it  proper  that  they  should  be 
educated.  He  may  be  wrong  to  form  such  opinions  ;  but 
the  opinions  once  formed,  he  has  a  right,  with  which  no  hu- 


RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  175 

man  power  can  justly  interfere,  to  educate  his  children  in 
conformity  with  those  opinions.  It  is  alike  the  law  of  God 
and  nature  that  the  father  should  control,  as  he  alone  is  re- 
sponsible, the  education  of  his  child. 

Now,  under  these  circumstances,  he  employs  an  American 
mechanic,  Avho  is  residing  in  Paris,  to  come  to  his  house  and 
teach  his  children  the  use  of  the  lathe.  After  some  time  he 
comes  into  their  little  work-shop,  and  is  astonished  to  find  the 
lathe  standing  still,  and  the  boys  gathered  round  the  Repub- 
lican turner,  who  is  relating  to  them  stories  of  the  tyranny 
of  kings,  the  happiness  of  republicans,  and  the  glory  of  war. 
The,  parent  remonstrates.  The  mechanic  defends  himself. 

"  I  am  a  Republican,"  he  says,  "  upon  principle,  and  wher- 
ever I  go  I  must  exert  all  the  influence  in  my  power  to  pro- 
mote free  principles,  and  to  expose  the  usurpations  and  the 
tyranny  of  kings." 

To  this  the  monarchist  might  very  properly  reply, 

"  In  your  efforts  to  promote  your  principles,  you  are  lim- 
ited, or  you  ought  to  be  limited,  to  modes  that  are  proper 
and  honorable.  I  employ  you  for  a  distinct  and  specific  pur- 
pose, which  has  nothing  to  do  with  questions  of  government, 
and  you  ought  not  to  allow  your  love  of  republican  principles 
to  lead  you  to  take  advantage  of  the  position  in  which  I  place 
you,  and  interfere  with  my  plans  for  the  political  education 
of  ray  children." 

Now  for  the  parallel  case.  A  member  of  a  Congregational 
society  is  employed  to  teach  a  school  in  a  district  occupied 
exclusively  by  Friends — a  case  not  uncommon.  He  is  cm- 
ployed  there,  not  as  a  religious  teacher,  but  for  another  specific 
and  well-defined  object.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the 
children  of  that  district  reading,  writing,  and  calculation,  and 
for  such  other  purposes  analogous  to  this  as  the  law  provid- 
ing for  the  establishment  of  district  schools  contemplated. 
Now,  when  he  is  placed  in  such  a  situation,  with  such  a  trust 
confided  to  him,  and  such  duties  to  discharge,  it  is  not  right 


176  THE   TEACHER. 

for  him  to  make  use  of  the  influence  which  this  official  sta- 
tion gives  him  over  the  minds  of  the  children  committed  to 
his  care  for  the  accomplishment  of  any  oil icr  purposes  whatever 
which  the  parents  would  disapprove.  It  would  not  be  con- 
sidered right  by  men  of  the  world  to  attempt  to  accomplish 
any  other  purposes  in  such  a  case ;  and  are  the  pure  and 
holy  principles  of  piety  to  be  extended  by  methods  more  ex- 
ceptionable than  those  by  which  political  and  party  contests 
are  managed  ? 

There  is  a  very  great  and  obvious  distinction  between  the 
general  influence  which  the  teacher  exerts  as  a  member  of 
the  community  and  that  which  he  can  employ  in  his  school- 
room as  teacher.  He  has  unquestionably  a  right  to  exert 
upon  the  community,  ly  such  means  as  he  shares  in  common  with 
every  other  citizen,  as  much  influence  as  he  can  command  for 
the  dissemination  of  his  own  political,  or  religious,  or  scien- 
tific opinions.  But  the  strong  ascendency  which,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  official  station,  he  has  obtained  over  the  minds 
of  his  pupils,  is  sacred.  He  has  no  right  to  use  it  for  any 
purpose  foreign  to  the  s-pccific  oljccts  for  which  he  is  employed, 
unless  ly  the  consent,  cocprcsscd  or  implied,  of  those  by  whom  he 
is  intrusted  with  his  charge.  The  parents  who  send  their 
children  to  him  to  be  taught  to  read,  to  write,  and  to  calcu- 
late, may  have  erroneous  views  of  their  duty  as  parents  in 
other  respects.  He  may  know  that  their  views  are  erroneous. 
They  may  be  taking  a  course  which  the  teacher  foiows  is 
wrong.  But  he  has  not,  on  this  account,  a  right  to  step  in 
between  the  parent  and  child,  to  guide  the  latter  according 
to  his  own  opinions,  and  to  violate  the  wishes  and  thwart  the 
plans  of  the  former. 

God  has  constituted  the  relation  between  the  parent  and 
the  child,  and  according  to  any  view  which  a  rational  man 
can  take  of  this  relation,  the  parent  is  alone  responsible  for 
the  guidance  he  gives  to  that  mind,  so  entirely  in  his  power. 
He  is  responsible  to  God  ;  and  where  our  opinions  in  regard 


RELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE.  177 

to  the  manner  in  which  any  of  the  duties  arising  from  the 
relation  arc  to  be  performed,  differ  from  his,  we  have  no  right 
to  interfere,  without  his  consent,  to  rectify  what  we  thus  im- 
agine to  be  wrong.  I  know  of  but  one  exception  which  any 
man  whatever  would  be  inclined  to  make  to  this  principle, 
and  that  is  where  the  parent  would,  if  left  to  himself,  take 
such  a  course  as  would  ultimately  make  his  children  unsafe 
members  of  society.  The  community  have  a  right  to  interfere 
in  such  a  case,  as  they  in  fact  do  by  requiring  every  man  to 
provide  for  the  instruction  of  his  children,  and  in  some  other 
ways  which  need  not  now  be  specified.  Beyond  this,  how- 
ever, no  interference  contrary  to  the  parent's  consent  is  jus- 
tifiable. Where  parents  will  do  wrong,  notwithstanding  any 
persuasions  which  we  can  address  to  them,  we  must  not  vio- 
late the  principles  of  an  arrangement  which  God  has  him- 
self made,  but  must  submit  patiently  to  the  awful  conse- 
quences which  will  in  some  cases  occur,  reflecting  that  the 
responsibility  for  these  consequences  is  on  the  head  of  those 
who  neglect  their  duty,  and  that  the  being  who  makes  them 
liable  will  settle  the  account. 

Whatever,  then,  the  teacher  attempts  to  do  beyond  the 
specific  and  defined  duties  which  arc  included  among  the  ob- 
jects for  which  he  is  employed,  must  be  done  ly  pej-missioii' — 
by  the  voluntary  consent,  whether  tacit  or  openly  expressed, 
of  those  by  whom  he  is  employed.  This,  of  course,  confines 
him  to  what  is  generally  common  ground  among  his  par- 
ticular employers.  In  a  republican  country,  where  all  his 
patrons  arc  republican,  he  may,  without  impropriety,  explain 
and  commend  to  his  pupils,  as  occasion  may  occur,  the  prin- 
ciples of  free  governments,  and  the  blessings  which  may  be 
expected  to  flow  from  them.  But  it  would  not  be  justifiable 
for  him  to  do  this  under  a  monarchy,  or  in  a  community  di- 
vided in  regard  to  this  subject,  because  this  question  does 
not  come  within  the  objects  for  the  promotion  of  which  his 
patrons  have  associated  and  employed  him,  and  consequently 
H2 


178  THE   TEACHEH. 

he  has  no  right,  while  continuing  their  teacher,  to  go  into  it 
without  their  consent.  In  the  same  manner,  an  Episcopal 
teacher,  in  a  private  school  formed  and  supported  by  Episco- 
palians, may  use  and  commend  forms  of  prayer,  and  explain 
the  various  usages  of  that  church,  exhibiting  their  excellence, 
and  their  adaptation  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  in- 
tended. He  may  properly  do  this,  because,  in  the  case  sup- 
posed, the  patrons  of  the  school  are  united  on  this  subject, 
and  their  tacit  consent  may  be  supposed  to  be  given.  But 
place  the  same  teacher  over  a  school  of  Friends,  whose  pa- 
rents dislike  forms  and  ceremonies  of  every  kind  in  religion, 
and  his  duty  would  be  changed  altogether.  So,  if  a  Roman 
Catholic  is  intrusted  with  the  instruction  of  a  common  dis- 
trict school  in  a  community  composed  of  many  Protestant 
denominations,  it  would  be  plainly  his  duty  to  avoid  all  in- 
fluence, direct  or  indirect,  over  the  minds  of  his  pupils,  ex- 
cept in  those  religious  sentiments  and  opinions  which  are  com- 
mon to  himself  and  all  his  employers.  I  repeat  the  princi- 
ple, lie  is  employed  for  a  specific  ^w/>os<?,  and  he  has  no  right 
to  icander  from  that  purpose,  except  as  far  as  he  can  go  with  the 
common  consent  of  his  employers. 

Now  the  common  ground  on  religious  subjects  in  this 
country  is  very  broad.  There  are,  indeed,  many  principles 
which  are,  in  my  view,  essential  parts  of  Christianity,  which 
are  subjects  of  active  discussion  among  us.  But,  setting  these 
aside,  there  are  other  principles  equally  essential,  in  regard 
to  which  the  whole  community  are  agreed ;  or,  at  least,  if 
there  is  a  dissenting  minority,  it  is  so  small  that  it  is  hardly 
to  be  considered.  Let  us  look  at  some  of  these  principles. 

1.  Our  community  is  agreed  that  there  is  a  God.  There 
is  probably  not  a  school  in  our  country  where  the  parents  of 
the  scholars  would  not  wish  to  have  the  teacher,  in  his  con- 
versation -with  his  pupils,  take  this  for  granted,  and  allude 
reverently  to  that  great  Being,  with  the  design  of  leading 
them  to  realize  Jjis  existence  and  to  feel  his  authority. 


T.ELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE.  179 

2.  Our  community  are  agreed  that  ice  are  responsible  to  God 
for  all  our  conduct.  Though  some  persons  absurdly  pretend 
to  believe  that  the  Being  who  formed  this  world,  if,  indeed, 
they  think  there  is  any  such  Being,  has  left  it  and  its  inhab- 
itants to  themselves,  not  inspecting  their  conduct,  and  never 
intending  to  call  them  to  account,  they  are  too  few  among 
us  to  need  consideration.  A  difference  of  opinion  on  this 
subject  might  embarrass  the  teacher  in  France,  and  in  other 
countries  in  Europe,  but  not  here.  However  negligent  men 
may  be  in  obeying  God's  commands,  they  do  almost  univer- 
sally in  our  country  admit  in  theory  the  authority  from  which 
they  come,  and  believing  this,  the  parent,  even  if  he  is  aware 
that  he  himself  does  not  obey  these  commands,  chooses  to 
have  his  children  taught  to  respect  them.  The  teacher  will 
thus  be  acting  with  the  consent  of  his  employers,  in  almost 
any  part  of  our  country,  in  endeavoring  to  influence  his  pu- 
pils to  perform  moral  duties,  not  merely  from  worldly  mo- 
tives, nor  from  mere  abstract  principles  of  right  and  wrong, 
but  from  regard  to  the  authority  of  God. 

0.  The  community  ai'e  agreed,  too,  in  the  belief  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul.  They  believe,  almost  without  exception, 
that  there  is  a  future  state  of  being  to  which  this  is  intro- 
ductozy  and  preparatory,  and  almost  every  father  and  moth- 
er in  our  country  wish  to  have  their  children  keep  this  in 
mind,  and  to  be  influenced  by  it  in  all  their  conduct. 

4.  The  community  are  agreed  that  we  have  a  revelation  from 
Heaven.  I  believe  there  are  very  few  instances  where  the 
parents  would  not  be  glad  to  have  the  Bible  read  from  time 
to  time,  its  geographical  and  historical  meanings  illustrated, 
and  its  moral  lessons  brought  to  bear  upon  the  hearts  and 
•lives  of  their  children.  Of  course,  if  the  teacher  is  so  unwise 
as  to  make  such  a  privilege,  if  it  were  allowed  him,  the  oc- 
casion of  exerting  an  influence  upon  one  side  or  the  other  of 
some  question  which  divides  the  community  around  him,  he 
must  expect  to  excite  jealousy  and  distrust,  and  to  be  ex- 


180  THE   TEACHER. 

eluded  from  a  privilege  which  he  might  otherwise  have  been 
permitted  freely  to  enjoy.  There  may,  alas!  be  some  cases 
where  the  use  of  the  Scriptures  is  altogether  forbidden  in 
school ;  but  probably  in  almost  every  such  case  it  would  be 
found  that  it  is  from  fear  of  its  perversion  to  sect  or  party 
purposes,  and  not  from  any  unwillingness  to  have  the  Bible 
used  in  the  way  I  have  described. 

5.  The  community  are  agreed,  in  theory,  that  personal  at- 
tachment to  tJie  Supreme  Being  is  the  duty  of  every  human  soul ; 
and  every  parent,  with  exceptions  so  few  that  they  are  not 
worth  naming,  wishes  that  his  children  should  cherish  that 
affection,  and  yield  their  hearts  to  its  influence.  He  is  will- 
ing, therefore,  that  the  teacher,  of  course  without  interfering 
with  the  regular  duties  for  the  performance  of  whjch  he  holds 
his  office,  should,  from  time  to  time,  so  speak  of  this  duty,  of 
God's  goodness  to  men,  of  his  daily  protection  and  his  prom- 
ised favors,  as  to  awaken,  if  possible,  this  attachment  in  the 
hearts  of  his  children.  Of  course,  it  is  very  easy  for  the 
teacher,  if  he  is  so  disposed,  to  abuse  this  privilege  also.  He 
can,  under  pretense  of  awakening  and  cherishing  the  spirit  of 
piety  in  the  hearts  of  his  pupils,  present  the  subject  in  such 
.aspects  and  relations  as  to  arouse  the  sectarian  or  denomina- 
tional feelings  of  some  of  his  employers ;  but  I  believe,  if  this 
was  honestly  and  fully  avoided,  there  are  few,  if  any  parents 
in  our  country  who  would  not  be  gratified  to  have  the  great 
principle  of  love  to  God  manifest  itself  in  the  instructions  of 
the  school-room,  and  showing  itself,  by  its  genuine  indica- 
tions, in  the  hearts  and  conduct  of  their  children. 

G.  The  community  are  agreed  not  only  in  believing  that 
piety  consists  primarily  in  love  to  God,  but  that  the  life  of 
piety  is  to  be  commenced  ly  penitence  for  past  sins,  and  forgive- 
ness, in  some  icay  or  other,  through  a  Savior.  I  am  aware  that 
one  class  of  theological  writers,  in  the  heat  of  controversy, 
charge  the  other  with  believing  that  Jesus  Christ  was  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  teacher  of  religion,  and  there  are 


EELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  181 

unquestionably  individuals  who  take  Ibis  view.  But  tbeso 
individuals  are  few.  Tbcre  arc  very  few  in  our  community 
who  do  not  in  some  sense  look  upon  Jesus  Christ  as  our 
Savior — our  Iledecmcr ;  who  do  not  feel  themselves  in  some 
ivay  indebted  to  him  for  the  offer  of  pardon.  There  may  be 
here  and  there  a  theological  student,  or  a  contributor  to  the 
columns  of  a  polemical  magazine,  who  ranks  Jesus  Christ 
with  Moses  and  with  Paul.  But  the  great  mass  of  the  la- 
thers and  mothers,  of  every  name  and  denomination  through 
all  the  ranks  of  society,  look  up  to  the  Savior  of  sinners 
with  something  at  least  of  the  feeling  that  he  is  the  object 
of  extraordinary  affection  and  reverence.  I  am  aware,  how- 
ever, that  I  am  approaching  the  limit  which,  in  many  parts 
of  our  country,  ought  to  bound  the  religious  influence  of  tho 
teacher  in  a  public  school,  and  on  this  subject,  as  on  every 
other,  he  ought  to  do  nothing  directly  or  indirectly  which 
would  be  displeasing  to  those  who  have  intrusted  children 
to  his  care. 

So  much  ground,  it  seems,  the  teacher  may  occupy,  by 
common  consent,  in  this  country,  and  it  certainly  is  a  great 
deal.  It  may  be  doubted  whether,  after  all  our  disputes, 
there  is  a  country  in  the  world  whose  inhabitants  have  so 
much  in  common  in  regard  to  religious  belief.  There  is,  per- 
haps, no  country  in  the  world  where  the  teacher  may  be  al- 
lowed to  do  so  much  toward  leading  his  pupils  to  fear  God 
and  to  obey  his  commands,  with  the  cordial  consent  of  pa- 
rents, as  he  can  here.* 

*  In  speaking  of  this  common  ground,  and  in  commenting  upon  it, 
I  wish  not  to  be  understood  that  I  consider  these  truths  as  comprising 
all  that  is  essential  in  Christianity.  Very  far  from  it.  A  full  expres- 
sion of  the  Christian  faith  would  go  far  in  advance  of  all  here  presented. 
We  must  not  confound,  however,  what  is  essential  to  prepare  the  way 
for  the  forgiveness  of  sin  with  what  is  essential  that  a  child  should  un- 
derstand in  order  to  secure  his  penitence  and  forgiveness.  The  former 
is  a  great  deal,  the  latter  very  little. 


182  THE    TEACHER. 

The  ground  which  I  have  been  laying  out  is  common  all 
over  our  country ;  in  particular  places  there  will  be  even 
much  more  that  is  common.  Of  course  the  teacher,  in  such 
cases,  will  be  at  much  greater  liberty.  If  a  Roman  Catholic 
community  establish  a  school,  and  appoint  a  Roman  Catholic 
teacher,  he  may  properly,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  schol- 
ars, allude,  with  commendation,  to  the  opinions  and  practices 
of  that  church.  If  a  college  is  established  by  the  Methodist 
denomination,  the  teacher  of  that  institution  may,  of  course, 
explain  and  enforce  there  the  views  of  that  society.  Each 
teacher  is  confined  only  to  those  vieivs  which  are  common  to  the 
founders  and  supporters  of  the  particular  institution  to  which  he 
is  attached. 

I  trust  the  principle  which  I  have  been  attempting  to  en- 
force is  fully  before  the  reader's  mind,  namely,  that  moral 
and  religious  instruction  in  a  school  being  in  a  great  degree 
extra-official  in  its  nature,  must  be  carried  no  farther  than 
the  teacher  can  go  with  the  common  consent,  cither  express- 
ed or  implied,  of  those  who  have  founded,  and  who  support 
his  school.  Of  course,  if  those  founders  forbid  it  altogether, 
they  have  a  right  to  do  so,  and  the  teacher  must  submit. 
The  only  question  that  can  justly  arise  is  whether  he  will 
remain  in  such  a  situation,  or  go  and  seek  cTnployment  where 
a  door  of  usefulness,  here  closed  against  him,  will  be  opened. 
While  he  remains,  he  must  honestly  and  fully  submit  to  the 
wishes  of  those  in  whose  hands  Providence  has  placed  the 
ultimate  responsibility  of  training  up  the  children  of  his 
school.  It  is  only  for  a  partial  and  specific  purpose  that 
they  are  placed  under  his  care. 

The  religious  reader  may  inquire  why  I  am  so  anxious  to 
restrain,  rather  than  to  urge  on,  the  exercise  of  religious  in- 
fluence in  schools.  "  There  is  far  too  little,"  some  one  will 
say,  "  instead  of  too  much,  and  teachers  need  to  be  encour- 
aged and  led  on  in  this  duty,  not  to  be  restrained  from  it." 
There  is,  indeed,  far  too  little  religious  influence  exerted  in 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE. 

common  schools.  What  I  have  said  has  been  intended  to 
prepare  the  way  for  an  increase  of  it.  My  view  of  it  is  this: 
If  teachers  do  universally  confine  themselves  to  the  limits 
which  I  have  been  attempting  to  define,  they  may  accomplish 
within  these  limits  a  vast  amount  of  good.  By  attempting, 
however,  to  exceed  them,  the  confidence  of  parents  is  de- 
stroyed or  weakened,  and  the  door  is  closed.  In  this  way, 
injury  to  a  very  great  extent  has  been  done  in  many  parts  of 
our  country.  Parents  are  led  to  associate  with  the  very  idea 
of  religion,  indirect  and  perhaps  secret  efforts  to  influence 
their  children  in  a  way  which  they  themselves  would  disap- 
prove. They  transfer  to  the  cause  of  piety  itself  the  dislike 
which  was  first  awakened  by  exceptionable  means  to  promote 
it ;  and  other  teachers,  seeing  these  evil  effects,  arc  deterred 
from  attempting  what  they  might  easily  have  accomplished. 
Before,  therefore,  attempting  to  enforce  the  duty  and  to  ex- 
plain the  methods  of  exerting  religious  influence  in  school,  I 
thought  proper  distinctly  to  state  with  what  restrictions  and 
within  what  limits  the  work  is  to  be  done. 

There  are  many  teachers  who  profess  to  cherish  the  spirit 
and  to  entertain  the  hopes  of  piety,  who  yet  make  no  effort 
whatever  to  extend  its  influence  to  the  hearts  of  their  pupils. 
Others  appeal  sometimes  to  religious  truth  merely  to  assist 
them  in  the  government  of  the  school.  They  perhaps  bring 
it  before  the  minds  of  disobedient  pupils  in  a  vain  effort  to 
make  an  impression  upon  the  conscience  of  one  who  has  done 
wrong,  and  who  can  not  by  other  means  be  brought  to  sub- 
mission. But  the  pupil  in  such  cases  understands,  or  at 
least  he  believes,  that  the  teacher  applies  to  religious  truth 
only  to  eke  out  his  own  authority,  and  of  course  it  produces 
no  effect.  Another  teacher  thinks  he  must,  to  discharge  his 
duty,  give  a  certain  amount,  weekly,  of  what  he  considers  re- 
ligious instruction.  lie  accordingly  appropriates  a  regular 
portion  of  time  to  a  formal  lecture  or  exhortation,  which  he 


184  THE   TEACHER. 

delivers  without  regard  to  the  mental  habits  of  thought  and 
feeling  which  prevail  among  his  charge.  He  forgets  that  tho 
heart  must  be  led,  not  driven  to  piety,  and  that  unless  his 
efforts  are  adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  minds  he  is  acting 
upon,  and  suited  to  influence  them,  he  must  as  certainly  fail 
of  success  as  when  there  is  a  want  of  aduptedness  between 
the  means  and  the  end  in  any  other  undertaking  whatever. 

The  arrangement  which  seems  to  me  as  well  calculated  as 
any  for  the  religious  exercises  of  a  school  is  this : 

1.  In  the  morning,  open  the  school  with  a  very  short  prayer, 
resembling  in  its  object  and  length  the  opening  prayer  in  the 
morning  at  Congregational  churches.  The  posture  which, 
from  some  considerable  experience,  I  would  recommend  at 
this  exercise,  is  sitting  with  the  head  reclined  upon  the  desk. 
The  prayer,  besides  being  short,  should  be  simple  in  its  lan- 
guage and  specific  in  its  petitions.  A  degree  of  particularity 
and  familiarity  which  would  be  improper  elsewhere  is  not 
only  allowable  here,  but  necessary  to  the  production  of  the 
proper  effect.  That  the  reader  may  understand  to  what  ex- 
tent I  mean  to  be  understood  to  recommend  this,  I  will  sub- 
join a  form,  such  as  in  spirit  I  suppose  such  a  prayer  ought 
to  be. 

"  Our  Father  in  Heaven,  who  hast  kindly  preserved  the  pupils  and 
the  teacher  of  this  school  during  the  past  night,  come  and  grant  us  a 
continuance  of  thy  protection  and  blessing  during  this  day.  We  can 
not  spend  the  day  prosperously  and  happily  without  thec.  Come,  then, 
and  be  in  this  school-room  during  this  day,  and  help  us  all  to  be  faith- 
ful and  successful  in  duty. 

"  Guide  the  teacher  in  all  that  he  may  do.  Give  him  wisdom,  and 
patience,  and  faithfulness.  May  he  treat  all  his  pupils  with  kindness  ; 
and  if  any  of  them  should  do  any  thing  that  is  wrong,  wilt  thou  help 
him,  gently  but  firmly,  to  endeavor  to  bring  him  back  to  duty.  May  he 
sympathize  with  the  difficulties  and  trials  of  all,  and  promote  the  pres- 
ent happiness  as  well  as  the  intellectual  progress  of  all  who  arc  com- 
mitted to  his  care. 

"  Take  care  of  the  pupils  too.  May  they  spend  the  day  pleasantly 
and  happily  together.  Wilt  thou,  who  didst  originally  give  us  all  our 


11EL1GIOUS   INFLUENCE.  185 

powers,  direct  and  assist  us  all,  this  day,  in  the  use  and  improvement 
of  them.  Remove  difficulties  from  our  path,  and  give  us  all  fidelity  and 
patience  in  every  duty.  Let  no  one  of  us  destroy  our  peace  and  hap*- 
pincss  this  day  by  breaking  any  of  thy  commands,  or  encouraging  our 
companions  in  sins,  or  neglecting,  in  any  respect,  our  duty.  \Vc  ask 
all  in  the  name  of  our  great  Redeemer.  Amen." 

Of  course  the  prayer  of  each  day  will  be  varied,  unless  in 
special  cases  the  teacher  prefers  to  read  some  form  like  the 
above.  But  let  every  one  be  minute  and  particular,  relating 
especially  to  school — to  school  temptations,  and  trials,  and 
difficulties.  Let  every  one  be  filled  with  expressions  relat- 
ing to  school,  so  that  it  will  bear  upon  every  sentence  the 
impression  that  it  is  the  petition  of  a  teacher  and  his  pupils 
at  the  throne  of  grace. 

2.  If  the  pupils  can  sing,  there  may  be  a  single  verse,  or 
sometimes  two  verses,  of  some  well-known  hymn  sung  after 
the  prayer  at  the  opening  of  the  school.     Teachers  will  find  it 
much  easier  to  introduce  this  practice  than  it  would  at  first 
be  supposed.     In  almost  every  school  there  are  enough  who 
can  sing  to  begin,  especially  if  the  first  experiment  is  mado 
in  a  recess,  or  before  or  after  school ;   and  the  beginning 
once  made,  the  difficulty  is  over.     If  but  few  tunes  are  sung, 
a  very  large  proportion  of  the  scholars  will  soon  learn  them. 

3.  Let  there  be  no  other  regular  exercise  until  the  close 
of  the  afternoon  school.    When  that  hour  has  arrived,  let  the 
teacher  devote  a  very  short  period,  five  minutes  perhaps,  to 
religious  instruction,  given  in  various  ways.     At  one  time  he 
may  explain  and  illustrate  some  important  truth.     At  an- 
other, read  and  comment  upon  a  very  short  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture.   At  another,  relate  an  anecdote  or  fact  which  will  tend 
to  interest  the  scholars  in  the  performance  of  duty.     The 
teacher  should  be  veiy  careful  not  to  imitate  on  these  occa- 
sions the  formal  style  of  exhortation  from  the  pulpit.     Let 
him  use  no  cant  and  hackneyed  phrases,  and  never  approach 
the  subject  of  personal  piety,  or  speak  of  such  feelings  as  pen- 


18G  THE   TEACHER. 

itcncc  for  sin,  trust  in  God,  and  love  for  the  Savior,  unless 
his  own  heart  is  really  at  the  time  warmed  by  the  emotions 
which  he  wishes  to  awaken  in  others.  Children  very  easily 
detect  hypocrisy.  They  know  very  well  when  a  parent  or 
teacher  is  talking  to  them  on  religious  subjects  merely  as  a 
matter  of  course  for  the  sake  of  effect,  and  such  constrained 
and  formal  efforts  never  do  any  good. 

Let,  then,  every  thing  which  you  do  in  reference  to  this 
subject  be  done  with  proper  regard  to  the  character  and  con- 
dition of  the  youthful  mind,  and  in  such  a  way  as  shall  be 
calculated  to  interest  as  well  as  to  insti-uct.  A  cold  and  form- 
al exhortation,  or  even  an  apparently  earnest  one,  delivered 
In  a  tone  of  affected  solemnity,  will  produce  no  good  effect. 
Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  say  it  will  produce  no  good  effect, 
for  good  does  sometimes  result  as  a  sort  of  accidental  conse- 
quence from  almost  any  thing.  I  mean  it  will  have  no  ef- 
fectual tendency  to  do  good.  You  must  vary  your  method, 
too,  in  order  to  interest  your  pupils.  Watch  their  counte- 
nances when  you  arc  addressing  them,  and  sec  if  they  look 
interested.  If  they  do  not,  be  assured  that  there  is  some- 
thing wrong,  or  at  least  something  ill-judged  or  inefficient  in 
your  manner  of  explaining  the  truths  which  you  wish  to  have 
produce  an  effect  upon  their  minds. 

That  you  may  be  prepared  to  bring  moral  and  religious 
truths  before  their  minds  in  the  way  I  have  described,  your 
own  mind  must  take  a  strong  interest  in  this  class  of  truths. 
You  must  habituate  yourself  to  look  at  the  moral  and  relig- 
ious aspects  and  relations  of  all  that  you  see  and  hear.  When 
you  are  reading,  notice  such  facts  and  remember  such  nar- 
ratives as  you  can  turn  to  good  account  in  this  way.  In  the 
same  way,  treasure  up  in  jrour  mind  such  occurrences  as  may 
come  under  your  own  personal  observation  when  traveling, 
or  when  mixing  with  society. 

That  the  spirit  and  manner  of  these  religious  exercises  may 
be  the  more  distinctly  understood,  I  will  give  some  examples. 


RELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE.  187 

Let  us  suppose,  then,  that  the  hour  for  closing  school  has 
come.  The  books  are  laid  aside ;  the  room  is  still ;  the  boys 
expect  the  few  words  which  the  teacher  is  accustomed  to 
address  to  them,  and,  looking  up  to  him,  they  listen  to  hear 
what  he  has  to  say. 

"  You  may  take  your  Bibles." 

The  boys,  by  a  simultaneous  movement,  open  their  desks, 
and  take  from  them  their  copies  of  the  sacred  volume. 

"What  is  the  first  book  of  the  New  Testament?" 

"  Matthew,"  they  all  answer  at  once. 

"The  second?"  "Mark."  "The  third?"  "Luke." 
"The  next?"  "John."  "The  next?"  "The  Acts."  "The 
next?" 

Many  answer,  "  Romans." 

"The  next?" 

A  few  voices  say  faintly,  and  with  hesitation,  "  First  of 
Corinthians." 

"  I  perceive  your  answers  become  fainter  and  fainter.  Do 
you  know  what  is  the  last  book  of  the  New  Testament?" 

The  boys  answer  promptly,  "  Revelations." 

"Do  you  know  what  books  are  between  the  Acts  and  the 
book  of  Revelation  ?" 

Some  say  "  No,  sir ;"  some  begin  to  enumerate  such  books 
as  occur  to  them,  and  some,  perhaps,  begin  to  name  them 
promptly  and  in  their  regular  order. 

"  I  do  not  mean,"  interrupts  the  teacher,  "  the  names  of 
the  books,  but  the  kinds  of  books." 

The  boys  hesitate. 

"They  are  epistles  or  letters.  Do  you  know  who  wrote 
the  letters?" 

"  Paul,"  "  Peter,"  answer  many  voices  at  once. 

"  Yes,  there  were  several  writers.  NOAV  the  point  which 
I  wish  to  bring  before  you  is  this ;  do  you  know  in  what  or- 
der, I  mean  on  what  principles,  the  books  are  arranged  ?" 

"No,  sir,"  is  the  universal  reply. 


188  THE   TEACHER. 

"  I  will  tell  you.  First  come  all  Paul's  epistles.  If  you 
turn  over  the  leaves  of  the  Testament,  you  will  see  that  Paul's 
letters  are  all  put  together  after  the  book  of  the  Acts ;  and 
what  I  wish  you  to  notice  is,  that  they  are  arranged  in  the 
order  of  their  length.  The  longest  comes  fii'St,  and  then  the 
next,  and  so  on  to  the  shortest,  which  is  the  epistle  to  Phil- 
emon. This,  of  course,  comes  last — no,  I  am  wrong  in  saying 
it  is  the  last  of  Paul's  epistles ;  there  is  one  more  to  the  He- 
brews ;  and  this  comes  after  all  the  others,  for  there  has  been 
a  good  deal  of  dispute  Avhether  it  was  really  written  by  Paul. 
You  will  see  that  his  name  is  not  at  the  beginning  of  it,  as  it 
is  in  his  other  epistles :  so  it  was  put  last. 

"  Then  comes  the  Epistle  of  James.  Will  you  sec  whether 
it  is  longer  than  any  that  come  after  it "?"  The  boys,  after  a 
minute's  examination,  answer,  "  Yes,  sir ;"  "  Yes,  sir." 

"What  comes  next1?" 

"The  epistles  of  Peter." 

"Yes;  and  you  will  see  that  the  longest  of  Peter's  epis- 
tles is  next  in  length  to  that  of  James's;  and,  indeed,  all  his 
are  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  length." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"What  comes  next?" 

"John's." 

"  Yes ;  and  they  arc  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  length. 
Do  you  now  understand  the  principle  of  the  arrangement  of 
the  epistles'?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

**  I  should  like  to  have  any  of  you  who  are  interested  in 
it  to  try  to  express  this  principle  in  a  few  sentences,  on  paper, 
and  lay  it  on  my  desk  to-morrow,  and  I  will  read  what  you 
write.  You  will  find  it  very  difficult  to  express  it.  Now 
you  may  lay  aside  your  books.  It  will  be  pleasanter  for  you 
if  you  do  it  silently." 

Intelligent  children  will  be  interested  even  in  so  simple  a 
point  as  this — much  more  interested  than  a  maturcr  mind, 


RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  189 

unacquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of  children,  would  sup- 
pose. By  bringing  up  from  tune  to  time  some  such  literary 
inquiry  as  this,  they  will  be  led  insensibly  to  regard  the  Bible 
as  opening  a  field  for  interesting  intellectual  research,  and  will 
more  easily  be  led  to  study  it. 

At  another  time  the  teacher  spends  his  five  minutes  in 
aiming  to  accomplish  a  very  different  object.  I  will  suppose 
it  to  be  one  of  those  afternoons  when  all  has  gone  smoothly 
and  pleasantly  in  school.  There  has  been  nothing  to  excite 
strong  interest  or  emotion ;  and  there  has  been  (as  every 
teacher  knows  there  sometimes  will  be),  without  any  assign- 
able cause  which  he  can  perceive,  a  calm,  and  quiet,  and 
happy  spirit  diffused  over  the  minds  and  countenances  of  the 
little  assembly.  His  evening  communication  should  accord 
with  this  feeling,  and  he  should  make  it  the  occasion  to  pro- 
mote those  pure  and  hallowed  emotions  in  which  every  im- 
mortal mind  must  find  its  happiness,  if  it  is  to  enjoy  any 
worth  possessing. 

When  all  is  still,  the  teacher  addresses  his  pupils  as  fol- 
lows : 

"I  have  nothing  but  a  simple  story  to  tell  you  to-night. 
It  is  true,  and  the  fact  interested  me  very  much  when  I  wit- 
nessed it,  but  I  do  not  know  that  it  will  interest  you  now 
merely  to  hear  it  repeated.  It  is  this  : 

"Last  vacation,  I  was  traveling  in  a  remote  and  thinly- 
settled  country,  among  the  mountains,  in  another  state.  I 
was  riding  with  a  gentleman  on  an  almost  unfrequented  road. 
Forests  were  all  around  us,  and  the  houses  were  small  and 
very  few. 

"  At  length,  as  we  were  passing  an  humble  and  solitary 
dwelling,  the  gentleman  said  to  me,  '  There  is  a  young  wom- 
an sick  in  this  house ;  should  you  like  to  go  in  and  see  her?' 
'  Yes,  sir,'  said  I,  '  very  much.  She  can  have  very  few  vis- 
itors, I  think,  in  this  lonely  place,  and  if  you  think  she  would 
like  to  sec  u?,  I  should  like  to  go.' 


1GO  THE   TEACHER. 

"  We  turned  our  horses  toward  the  door,  and  as  we  were 
riding  up,  I  asked  what  was  the  matter  with  the  young 
woman. 

"  '  Consumption,'  the  gentleman  replied  ;  '  and  I  suppose 
she  will  not  live  long.' 

"  At  that  moment  we  dismounted  and  entered  the  house. 
It  was  a  very  pleasant  summer  afternoon,  and  the  door  was 
open.  We  entered,  and  were  received  by  an  elderly  lady, 
who  seemed  glad  to  see  us.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  was 
a  bed,  on  which  was  lying  the  patient  whom  we  had  come  to 
visit.  She  was  pale  and  thin  in  her  countenance,  but  there 
was  a  very  calm  and  happy  expression  beaming  in  her  eye. 
I  went  up  to  her  bedside,  and  asked  her  how  she  did. 

"  I  talked  with  her  some  time,  and  found  that  she  was  a 
Christian.  She  did  not  seem  to  know  whether  she  would 
get  well  again  or  not,  and,  in  fact,  she  did  not  appear  to  care 
much  about  it.  She  was  evidently  happy  then,  and  she  be- 
lieved that  she  should  continue  so.  She  had  been  penitent 
for  her.  sins,  and  had  sought  and  obtained  forgiveness,  and 
enjoyed,  in  her  loneliness,  not  only  the  protection  of  God, 
but  also  his  presence  in  her  heart,  diffusing  peace  and  happi- 
ness there.  "When  I  came  into  the  house,  I  said  to  myself, 
'  I  pity,  I  am  sure,  a  person  who  is  confined  by  sickness  in 
this  lonely  place,  with  nothing  to  interest  or  amuse  her;'  but 
when  I  came  out,  I  said  to  myself,  '  I  do  not  pity  her  at  all.'  " 

Never  destroy  the  effect  of  such  a  communication  as  this 
by  attempting  to  follow  it  up  with  an  exhortation,  or  with 
general  remarks,  vainly  attempting  to  strengthen  the  im- 
pression. 

Never,  do  I  say?  Perhaps  there  may  be  some  exceptions. 
But  children  are  not  reached  by  formal  exhortations ;  their 
hearts  are  touched  and  affected  in  other  ways.  Sometimes 
you  must  reprove,  sometimes  you  must  condemn  ;  but  indis- 
criminate and  perpetual  harangues  about  the  guilt  of  impen- 
itence, and  earnest  entreaties  to  begin  a  life  of  piety,  only 


KELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  101 

harden  the  hearts  they  are  intended  to  soften,  and  consequent- 
ly confirm  those  who  hear  them  in  the  habits  of  sin. 

In  the  same  way  a  multitude  of  other  subjects,  infinite  in 
number  and  variety,  may  be  brought  before  your  pupils  at 
stated  seasons  for  religious  instruction.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  give  any  more  particular  examples,  but  still  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  suggest  a  few  general  principle?,  which  ought  to 
guide  those  who  are  addressing  the  young  on  every  subject, 
and  especially  on  the  subject  of  religion. 

1.  Make  no  effort  to  simplify  language  irhcn  addressing  the 
young.  Children  always  observe  this,  and  arc  always  dis- 
pleased with  it,  unless  they  are  very  young ;  and  it  is  not  nec- 
essary. They  can  understand  ordinary  language  well  enough, 
if  the  fuljcct  is  within  their  comprehension,  and  treated  in  a 
manner  adapted  to  their  powers.  If  you  doubt  whether  chil- 
dren can  understand  language,  tell  such  a  story  as  this,  with 
ardor  of  tone  and  proper  gesticulation,  to  a  child  only  two 
or  three  years  old  : 

"  I  saw  an  enormous  dog  in  the  street  the  other  day.  lie 
was  sauntering  along  slowly,  until  he  saw  a  huge  piece  of 
meat  lying  down  on  the  ground.  He  grasped  it  instantly  be- 
tween his  teeth,  and  ran  away  with  all  speed,  until  he  disap- 
peared around  a  corner  so  that  I  could  see  him  no  more." 

In  such  a  description  there  is  a  large  number  of  words 
which  such  a  child  would  not  understand  if  they  stood  alone, 
but  the  whole  description  would  be  perfectly,  intelligible. 
The  reason  is,  the  subject  is  simple;  the  facts  arc  such  as  a 
very  little  child  would  be  interested  in ;  and  the  connection 
of  each  new  word,  in  almost  every  instance,  explains  its  mean- 
ing. That  is  the  way  by  which  children  learn  all  language. 
They  learn  the  meaning  of  words,  not  by  definitions,  but  by 
their  connection  in  the  sentences  in  which  they  hear  them ; 
and,  by  long  practice,  they  acquire  an  astonishing  facility  of 
doing  this.  It  is  true  they  sometimes  mistake,  but  not  often, 
and  the  teacher  of  children  of  almost  any  age  need  not  b<? 


192  THE   TEACHER. 

afraid  that  lie  shall  not  be  understood.  There  is  no  danger 
from  his  using  the  language  of  men,  if  his  subject,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  treats  it,  and  the  form  and  structure  of 
his  sentences,  are  what  they  ought  to  be.  Of  course  there 
may  be  cases,  in  fact  there  often  will  be  cases,  where  partic- 
ular words  will  require  special  explanation,  but  they  will  be 
comparatively  few,  and  instead  of  making  efforts  to  avoid 
them,  it  will  be  better  to  let  them  come.  The  pupils  Avill  be 
interested  and  profited  by  the  explanation. 

Perhaps  some  may  ask  what  harm  it  will  do  to  simplify 
language  when  talking  to  children.  "  It  certainly  can  do  no 
injury,"  they  may  say,  "and  it  diminishes  ah1  possibility  of 
being  misunderstood."  It  does  injury  in  at  least  three  ways : 

(1 .)  It  disgusts  the  young  persons  to  whom  it  is  addressed, 
and  prevents  their  being  interested  in  what  is  said.  I  once 
met  two  children,  twelve  years  of  age,  who  had  just  returned 
from  hearing  a  very  able  discourse,  delivered  before  a  num- 
ber of  Sabbath-schools  assembled  on  some  public  occasion. 
"How  did  you  like  the  discourse?"  said  I. 

"  Very  well  indeed,"  they  replied ;  "  only,"  said  one  of 
them,  smiling,  "ho  talked  to  us  as  if  we  were  all  little  chil- 
dren." 

Girls  and  boys,  however  young,  never  consider  themselves 
little  children,  for  they  can  always  look  down  upon  some 
younger  than  themselves.  They  are  mortified  when  treated 
as  though  they  could  not  understand  what  is  really  within 
the  reach  of  their  faculties.  They  do  not  like  to  have  their 
powers  underrated,  and  they  arc  right  in  this  feeling.  It  is 
common  to  all,  old  and  young. . 

(2.)  Children  are  kept  back  in  learning  language  if  their 
teacher  makes  effort  to  come  down,  as  it  is  called,  to  their 
comprehension  in  the  use  of  words.  Notice  that  I  say  in  the 
use  of  words;  for,  as  I  shall  show  presently,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  come  down  to  the  comprehension  of  children  in 
tonic  other  respects.  If,  however,  in  the  use  of  word?,  thc^c 


RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  103 

who  address  children  confine  themselves  to  such  words  as 
children  already  understand,  how  are  they  to  make  progress 
in  that  most  important  of  all  studies,  the  knowledge  of  lan- 
guage ?  Many  a  mother  keeps  back  her  child,  in  this  way, 
to  a  decree  that  is  hardly  conceivable,  thus  doing  all  in  her 
power  to  perpetuate  in  the  child  an  ignorance  of  its  mother 
tongue. 

Teachers  ought  to  make  constant  efforts  to  increase  their 
scholars'  stock  of  words  by  using  new  ones  from  time  to  time, 
taking  care  to  explain  them  when  the  connection  does  not  do 
it  for  them ;  so  that,  instead  of  coining  down  to  the  language 
of  childhood,  they  ought  rather  to  go  as  far  away  from  it  as 
they  can,  without  leaving  their  pupils  behind  them. 

(3.)  But  perhaps  the  greatest  evil  of  this  practice  is,  it  sat- 
isfies the  teacher.  lie  thinks  he  addresses  his  pupils  in  the 
right  manner,  and  overlooks  altogether  the  real  peculiarities' 
in  which  the  power  to  interest  the  young  depends.  lie  talks 
to  them  in  simple  language,  and  wonders  why  they  arc  not 
interested.  lie  certainly  is  plain  enough.  He  is  vexed  with 
them  for  not  attending  to  what  he  says,  attributing  it  to  their 
dullness  or  regardlessuess  of  all  that  is  useful  or  good,  instead 
of  perceiving  that  the  great  difficulty  is  his  own  want  of  skill. 
These  three  evils  arc  sufficient  to  deter  the  teacher  from  the 
practice. 

2.  Present  your  subject,  not  in  its  general  views,  but  in  its 
minute  details.  This  is  the  great  secret  of  interesting  the 
young.  Present  it  in  its  details  and  in  its  practical  exempli- 
fications; do  this  with  any  subject  whatever,  and  children 
Avill  always  be  interested. 

To  illustrate  this,  let  us  suppose  two  teachers  wishing  to 
explain  to  their  pupils  the  same  subject,  and  taking  the  fol- 
lowing opposite  methods  of  doing  it.  One,  at  the  close  of 
school,  addresses  his  charge  as  follows  : 

"The  moral  character  of  any  action,  that  is,  whether  it  is 
right  or  wrong,  di-pemls  upon  the  motives  with  which  it  id 

I 


194  THE   TEACHE1J. 

performed.  Men  look  only  at  the  outward  conduct,  but  God 
looks  at  the  heart.  In  order,  now,  that  any  action  should  be 
pleasing  to  God,  it  is  necessary  it  should  be  performed  from 
the  motive  of  a  desire  to  please  him. 

"Now  there  are  a  great  many  other  motives  of  action 
which  prevail  among  mankind  besides  this  right  one.  There 
is  love  of  praise,  love  of  money,  affection  for  friends,  and 
many  others." 

By  the  time  the  teacher  has  proceeded  thus  far,  he  finds,  aa 
he  looks  around  the  room,  that  the  countenances  of  his  pupils 
are  assuming  a  listless  and  inattentive  air.  One  is  restless 
in  his  scat,  evidently  paying  no  attention.  Another  has  re- 
clined his  head  upon  his  desk,  lost  in  a  reverie,  and  others 
are  looking  round  the  room  at  one  another,  or  at  the  door, 
restless  and  impatient,  hoping  that  the  dull  lecture  will  soon 
be  over. 

The  other  teacher  says : 

"I  have  thought  of  an  experiment  I  might  try,  which 
would  illustrate  to  you  a  very  important  subject.  Suppose  I 
should  call  one  of  the  boys,  A,  to  me,  and  should  say  to  him, 
'  I  wish  you  to  go  to  your  scat,  and  transcribe  a  piece  of  po- 
etry as  handsomely  as  you  can.  If  it  is  written  as  well  as 
you  can  possibly  write  it,  I  will  give  you  a  quarter  of  a  dollar. 
Suppose  I  say  this  to  him  privately,  so  that  none  of  the  rest 
of  the  boys  can  hear,  and  he  goes  to  take  his  seat  and  begins 
to  work.  You  perceive  that  I  have  presented  to  him  a  mo- 
tive to  exertion." 

"Yes,  sir,"  say  the  boys,  all  looking  with  interest  at  the 
teacher,  wondering  how  this  experiment  is  going  to  end. 

"  Well,  what  would  that  motive  be  ?" 

"  Money."  "  The  quarter  of  a  dollar."  "Love  of  money," 
or  perhaps  other  answers,  are  heard 'from  the  various  parts 
of  the  room. 

"Yes,  love  of  money  it  is  called.  Now  suppose  I  should 
call  another  boy,  one  with  whom  I  was  particularly  acquaint- 


RELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE.  195 

• 

cd,  and  who  I  should  know  would  make  an  effort  to  please 
me,  and  should  say  to  him,  '  For  a  particular  reason,  I  want 
you  to  copy  this  poetry' — giving  him  the  same — '  I  wish  you 
to  copy  it  handsomely,  for  I  wish  to  send  it  aAvay,  and  have 
not  time  to  copy  it  myself.  Can  you  do  it  for  me  ?' 

"  Suppose  the  boy  should  say  he  could,  and  should  take  it 
to  his  seat  and  begin,  neither  of  the  boys  knowing  what  the 
other  was  doing.  I  should  now  have  offered  to  this  second 
boy  a  motive.  Would  it  be  the  same  with  the  other?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  What  was  the  other  ?" 

"Love  of  money." 

"  What  is  this  ?" 

The  boys  hesitate. 

"  It  might  be  called,"  continues  the  teacher,  "  friendship. 
It  is  the  motive  of  a  vast  number  of  the  actions  which  arc 
performed  in  this  world. 

"  Do  you  think  of  any  other  common  motive  of  action  be- 
t-ides love  of  money  and  friendship?" 

"Love  of  honor,"  says  one;   "fear,"  says  another. 

"Yes,"  continues  the  teacher,  "both  these  are  common 
motives.  I  might,  to  exhibit  them,  call  two  more  boys,  one 
after  the  other,  and  say  to  the  one,  '  I  will  thank  you  to  go 
and  copy  this  piece  of  poetry  as  well  as  you  can.  I  want  to 
send  it  to  the  school  committee  as  a  specimen  of  improve- 
ment made  in  this  school.' 

"  To  the  other  I  might  say,  '  You  have  been  a  careless  boy 
to-day ;  you  have  not  got  your  lessons  well.  Now  take  your 
scat  and  copy  this  poetry.  Do  it  carefully.  Unless  you  take 
pains,  and  do  it  as  well  as  you  possibly  can,  I  shall  punish 
you  severely  before  you  go  home.' 

"  How  many  motives  have  I  got  now?     Four,  I  believe." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  sny  the  boys. 

"  Love  of  money,  friendship,  love  of  honor,  and  fear.  We 
called  the  first  boy  A ;  let  us  call  the  others  15,  C,  and  1); 


19G  ,  THE   TEACHER. 

« 

no,  we  shall  remember  better  to  call  them  by  the  name  of 
their  motives.  We  will  call  the  first  M,  for  money;  the 
second,  F,  for  friendship ;  the  third,  H,  for  honor ;  and  the 
last,  F — we  have  got  an  F  already ;  what  shall  we  do  ?  On 
the  whole,  it  is  of  no  consequence ;  we  will  have  two  F's,  but 
we  will  take  care  not  to  confound  them. 

"  But  there  are  a  great  many  other  motives  entirely  distinct 
from  these.  For  example,  suppose  I  should  say  to  a  fifth 
boy,  '  Will  you  copy  this  piece  of  poetry  ?  It  belongs  to  one 
of  the  little  boys  in  school :  he  wants  a  copy  of  it,  and  I  told 
him  I  would  try  to  get  some  one  to  copy  it  for  him.'  This 
motive,  now,  would  be  benevolence ;  that  is,  if  the  boy  who 
was  asked  to  copy  it  was  not  particularly  acquainted  with 
the  other,  and  did  it  chiefly  to  oblige  him.  We  will  call  this 
boy  B,  for  Benevolence. 

"  Now  suppose  I  call  a  sixth  boy,  and  say  to  him,  '  I  have 
set  four  or  five  boys  to  work  copying  this  piece  of  poetry ; 
now  I  wish  you  to  sit  down,  and  see  if  you  can  not  do  it  bet- 
ter than  any  of  them.  After  all  are  done,  I  will  compare 
them,  and  see  if  yours  is  not  the  best.'  This  would  be  trying 
to  excite  emulation.  We  must  call  this  boy,  then,  E.  But 
the  time  I  intended  to  devote  to  talking  with  you  on  this  sub- 
ject for  to-day  is  expired.  Perhaps  to-morrow  I  will  take 
up  the  subject  again." 

The  reader  now  will  observe  that  the  grand  peculiarity  of 
the  instructions  given  by  this  last  teacher,  as  distinguished 
from  those  of  the  first,  consists  in  this,  that  the  parts  of  the 
subject  arc  presented  in  detail,  and  in  particular  exemplification. 
In  the  first  case,  the  whole  subject  was  dispatched  in  a  single, 
general,  and  comprehensive  description ;  in  the  latter,  it  is 
examined  minutely,  one  point  being  brought  forward  at  a 
time.  The  discussions  are  enlivened,  too,  by  meeting  and 
removing  such  little  difficulties  as  will  naturally  come  up  in 
such  an  investigation.  Boys  and  girls  will  take  an  interest 
in  such  a  lecture;  they  will  regret  to  have  it  come  to  a  con- 


RELIGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  197 

elusion,  and  will  give  their  attention  when  the  subject  is 
again  brought  forward  on  the  following  day.  Let  us  sup- 
pose the  time  for  continuing  the  exercise  to  have  arrived. 
The  teacher  resumes  the  discussion  thus : 

"I  was  talking  to  you  yesterday  about  the  motives  of 
action.  How  many  had  I  made  ?" 

Some  say  "Four,"  some  "Five,"  some  "Six." 

"  Can  you  name  any  of  them  1" 

The  boys  attempt  to  recollect  them,  and  they  give  the 
names  in  the  order  in  which  they  accidentally  occur  to  the 
various  individuals.  Of  course  the  words  Fear,  Emulation, 
Honor,  Friendship,  and  others,  come  in  confused  and  irregu- 
lar sounds  from  every  part  of  the  school-room. 

"You  do  not  recollect  the  order,"  says  the  teacher,  "and 
it  is  of  no  consequence,  for  the  order  I  named  was  only  acci- 
dental. Now  to  go  on  with  my  account :  suppose  all  these 
boys  to  sit  down  and  go  to  writing,  each  one  acting  under  the 
impulse  of  the  motive  which  had  been  presented  to  him  in- 
dividually. But,  in  order  to  make  the  supposition  answer 
my  purpose,  I  must  add  two  other  cases.  I  will  imagine 
that  one  of  these  boys  is  called  away  a  few  minutes,  and 
leaves  his  paper  on  his  desk,  and  that  another  boy,  of  an  ill- 
natured  and  morose  disposition,  happening  to  pass  by  and  see 
his  paper,  thinks  he  will  sit  down  and  write  upon  it  a  few 
lines,  just  to  tease  and  vex  the  one  who  was  called  away. 
We  will  also  suppose  that  I  call  another  boy  to  me,  who  I 
have  reason  to  believe  is  a  sincere  Christian,  and  say  to  him, 
1  Here  is  a  new  duty  for  you  to  perform  this  afternoon.  This 
piece  of  poetry  is  to  be  copied  ;  now  do  it  carefully  and  faith- 
fully. You  know  that  this  morning  you  committed  yourself 
to  God's  care  during  the  day;  now  remember  that  he  has 
been  watching  you  all  the  time  thus  far,  and  that  he  will  be 
noticing  you  all  the  time  you  are  doing  this;  he  will  be 
pleased  if  you  do  your  duty  faithfully.' 

"  The  boys  thus  all  go  to  writing.     Now  suppose  a  stran- 


198  THE   TEACHER. 

ger  should  come  in,  and,  seeing  them  all  busy,  should  say 
to  me, 

"  '  What  are  all  these  boys  doing?' 

"  '  They  are  writing.' 

"  '  What  are  they  writing  T 
-   "  '  They  are  writing  a  piece  of  poetry.' 

"  '  They  seem  to  be  very  busy ;  they  are  very  industrious, 
good  boys.' 

" '  Oh  no !  it  is  not  by  any  means  certain  that  they  are 
good  boys.' 

" '  I  mean  that  they  are  good  boys  now  ;  that  they  are  do- 
ing right  at  this  time.'' 

"  *  That  is  not  certain  ;  some  of  them  are  doing  right  and 
some  are  doing  very  wrong,  though  they  arc  all  writing  the 
same  piece  of  poetry.' 

"  The  stranger  would  perhaps  look  surprised  while  I  said 
this,  and  would  ask  an  explanation,  and  I  might  properly 
reply  as  follows : 

" l.  Whether  the  boys  are  at  this  moment  doing  rght  or 
wrong  depends  not  so  much  upon  what  they  are  doing  as 
upon  the  feelings  of  the  heart  with  which  they  are  doing  it. 
I  acknowledge  that  they  are  all  doing  the  same  thing  out- 
wardly; they  arc  all  writing  the  same  extract,  and  they  are 
all  doing  it  attentively  and  carefully,  but  they  are  thinking 
of  very  different  things.' 

"  '  What  are  they  thinking  of?' 

"'Do  you  sec  that  boy?'  I  might  say,  pointing  to  one  of 
them.  '  His  name  is  M.  He  is  writing  for  money.  He  is 
saying  to  himself  all  the  time,  "  I  hope  I  shall  get  the  quarter 
of  a  dollar."  He  is  calculating  what  he  shall  buy  with  it, 
and  every  good  or  bad  letter  that  he  makes,  he  is  considering 
the  chance  whether  he  shall  succeed  or  fail  in  obtaining  it.' 

"  '  What  is  the  next  boy  to  him  thinking  of?' 

" 'His  name  is  B.  He  is  copying  to  oblige  a  little  fellow 
whom  he  scarcely  knows,  and  is  trying  to  make  his  copy 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE.  199 

handsome,  so  as  to  give  him  pleasure.  He  is  thinking  how 
gratified  his  schoolmate  will  be  when  he  receives  it,  and  is 
forming  plans  to  get  acquainted  with  him. 

"  'Do  you  sec  that  boy  in  the  back  seat?  He  has  mali- 
ciously taken  another  boy's  place  just  to  spoil  his  work.  He 
knows,  too,  that  he  is  breaking  the  rules  of  the  school  in  be- 
ing out  of  his  place,  but  he  stays  notwithstanding,  and  is 
delighting  himself  with  thinking  how  disappointed  and  sad 
his  schoolmate  will  be  when  he  comes  in  and  finds  his  work 
spoiled  by  having  another  handwriting  in  it,  when  he  was 
depending  on  doing  it  all  himself.' 

'"I  see,'  the  stranger  might  say  by  this  time,  'that  there 
is  a  great  difference  among  these  boys;  have  you  told  me 
about  them  all?' 

"'No,'  I  might  reply,  'there  are  several  others.  I  will 
only  mention  one  more.  He  sits  in  the  middle  of  the  second 
desk.  He  is  writing  carefully,  simply  because  he  wishes  to 
do  his  duty  and  please  God.  Pie  thinks  that  God  is  present, 
and  loves  him,  and  takes  care  of  him,  and  he  is  obedient  and 
grateful  in  return.  I  do  not  mean  that  he  is  all  the  time 
thinking  of  God,  but  love  to  him  is  his  motive  of  effort.' 

"  Do  you  see  now,  boys,  what  I  mean  to  teach  you  by  this 
long  supposition  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  I  presume  you  do.  Terhaps  it  would  be  difficult  for  you 
to  express  it  in  words;  I  can  express  it  in  general  terms  thus: 

"  Our  characters  depend,  not  on  what  ice  do,  but  on  the  spirit 
and  motive  with  which  we  do  it.  What  I  have  been  saying 
throws  light  upon  one  important  verse  in  the  Bible,  which  I 
should  like  to  have  read.  James,  have  you  a  Bible  in  your 
desk1?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Will  you  turn  to  1  Samuel,  xvi.,  7,  and  then  rise  and  read 
it?  Head  it  loud,  so  that  all  the  school  can  hear." 

James  read  as  follows : 


200  THE   TEACHER. 

"  MAN  LOOKETII  ON  THE  OUTWARD  APPEARANCE,  BUT  GOD 
I.OOKETII  ON  THE  HEART." 

This  is  the  way  to  reach*thc  intellect  and  the  heart  of  the 
young.  Go  into  detail.  Explain  truth  and  duty,  not  in  an 
abstract  form,  but  exhibit  it  in  actual  and  living  examples. 

(3.)  Be  very  cautious  how  you  bring  in  the  awful  sanctions 
of  religion  to  assist  you  directly  in  the  discipline  of  your 
school.  You  will  derive  a  most  powerful  indirect  assistance 
from  the  influence  of  religion  in  the  little  community  which 
you  govern,  but  this  will  be  through  the  prevalence  of  its 
spirit  in  the  hearts  of  your  pupils,  and  not  from  any  assist- 
ance which  you  can  usually  derive  from  it  in  managing  par- 
ticular cases  of  transgression.  Many  teachers  make  great 
mistakes  in  this  respect.  A  bad  boy,  who  has  done  some- 
thing openly  and  directly  subversive  of  the  good  order  of  the 
•  school,  or  the  rights  of  his  companions,  is  called  before  the 
master,  who  thinks  that  the  most  powerful  weapon  to  wield 
against  him  is  the  Bible.  So,  while  the  trembling  culprit 
stands  before  him,  he  administers  to  him  a  reproof,  which 
consists  of  an  almost  ludicrous  mixture  of  scolding,  entreaty, 
religious  instruction,  and  threatening  of  punishment.  But 
such  an  occasion  as  this  is  no  time  to  touch  a  bad  boy's  heart. 
He  is  steeled  at  such  a  moment  against  any  thing  but  mor- 
tification and  the  desire  to  get  out  of  the  hands  of  the  master, 
and  he  has  an  impression  that  the  teacher  appeals  to  relig- 
ious principles  only  to  assist  him  to  sustain  his  own  authority. 
Of  course,  religious  truth,  at  such  a  time,  can  make  no  good 
impression.  There  may  be  exceptions  to  this  rule.  There 
doubtless  are.  I  have  found  some;  and  every  successful 
teacher  who  reads  this  will  probably  call  to  mind  some  which 
have  occurred  in  the  course  of  his  own  experience.  I  am 
only  speaking  of  what  ought  to  be  the  general  rule,  which  is 
to  reserve  religious  truths  for  moments  of  a  different  character 
altogether.  Bring  the  principles  of  the  Bible  forward  when 
the  mind  is  calm,  when  the  emotions  arc  quieted,  and  all 


KEUGIOUS   INFLUENCE.  201 

within  is  at  rest ;  and  in  exhibiting  them,  be  actuated,  not  by 
a  desire  to  make  your  duties  of  government  easier,  but  to 
promote  the  real  and  permanent  happiness  of  your  charge. 

(4.)  Do  not  be  eager  to  draw  from  your  pupils  an  expres- 
sion of  their  personal  interest  in  religious  truth.  Lay  before 
them,  and  enforce,  by  all  the  means  in  your  power,  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christian  duty,  but  do  not  converse  with  them  for 
the  purpose  of  gratifying  your  curiosity  in  regard  to  their  pi- 
ety, or  your  spiritual  pride  by  counting  up  the  numbers  of 
those  who  have  been  led  to  piety  by  your  influence.  Begin- 
ning to  act  from  Christian  principle  is  the  beginning  of  a 
new  life,  and  it  may  be  an  interesting  subject  of  inquiry  to 
you  to  ascertain  how  many  of  your  pupils  have  experienced 
the  change ;  but,  in  many  cases,  it  would  merely  gratify  cu- 
riosity to  know.  There  is  no  question,  too,  that,  in  ycry 
many  instances,  the  faint  glimmering  of  religious  interest, 
which  would  have  kindled  into  a  bright  flame,  is  extinguish- 
ed at  once,  and  perhaps  forever,  by  the  rough  inquiries  of  a 
religious  friend.  Besides,  if  you  make  inquiries,  and  form  a 
definite  opinion  of  your  pupils,  they  will  know  that  this  is 
your  practice,  and  many  a  one  will  repose  in  the  belief  that 
you  consider  him  or  her  a  Christian,  and  you  will  thus  in- 
crease the  number,  already  unfortunately  too  large,  of  those 
who  maintain  the  form  and  pretenses  of  piety  without  its 
power ;  whose  hearts  arc  filled  with  self-sufFieiency  and  spir- 
itual pride,  and  perhaps  zeal  for  the  truths  and  external  du- 
ties of  religion,  while  the  real  spirit  of  piety  has  no  place 
there.  They  trust  to  some  imaginary  change,  long  since  pass- 
ed by,  and  which  has  proved  t.o  be  spurious  by  its  failing  of 
its  fruits.  The  best  way — in  fact,  the  only  way — to  guard 
against  this  danger,  especially  with  the  young,  is  to  show,  by 
your  manner  of  speaking  and  acting  on  this  subject  at  all 
times,  that  you  regard  a  truly  religious  life  as  the  only  evi- 
dence of  piety,  and  that,  consequently,  however  much  inter- 
est your  pupils  may  apparently  take  in  religious  instruction, 

12 


202  THE   TEACHER. 

they  can  not  know,  and  you  can  not  know,  whether  Chris- 
tian principle  reigns  within  them  in  any  other  way  than  by 
following  them  through  life,  and  observing  how,  and  with 
what  spirit,  the  various  duties  which  devolve  upon  them  are 
performed. 

There  are  very  many  fallacious  indications  of  piety,  so  fal- 
lacious and  so  plausible  that  there  are  very  few,  even  among 
intelligent  Christians,  who  are  not  often  greatly  deceived. 
"  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  said  the  Savior ;  a  di- 
rection sufficiently  plain,  one  would  think,  and  pointing  to  a 
test  sufficiently  easy  to  be  applied.  But  it  is  slow  and  tedi- 
ous work  to  wait  for  fruits,  and  we  accordingly  seek  a  crite- 
rion which  will  help  us  quicker  to  a  result.  You  see  your 
pupil  serious  and  thoughtful.  It  is  well ;  but  it  is  not  proof 
of  piety.  You  see  him  deeply  interested  when  you  speak  of 
his  obligations  to  his  Maker,  and  the  duties  he  owes  to  Him. 
This  is  well,  but  it  is  no  proof  of  piety.  You  know  he  reads 
his  Bible  daily,  and  offers  his  morning  and  evening  prayers. 
When  you  speak  to  him  of  God's  goodness,  and  of  his  past 
ingratitude,  his  bosom  heaves  with  emotion,  and  the  tear 
stands  in  his  eye.  It  is  all  well.  You  may  hope  that  he  is 
going  to  devote  his  life  to  the  service  of  God ;  but  you  can 
not  know,  you  can  not  even  believe  with  any  great  confi- 
dence. These  appearances  are  not  piety.  They  are  not  con- 
clusive evidences  of  it.  They  arc  only,  in  the  young,  faint 
grounds  of  hope  that  the  genuine  fruits  of  piety  will  ap- 
pear. 

I  am  aware  that  there  arc  many  persons  so  habituated  to 
judging  with  confidence  of  the  piety  of  others  from  some  such 
indications  as  I  have  described,  that  they  will  think  I  carry 
my  cautions  to  the  extreme.  Perhaps  I  do ;  but  the  Savior 
said,  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  and  it  is  safest 
to  follow  his  direction. 

By  the  word  "fruits,"  however,  our  Savior  unquestionably 
docs  not  mean  the  mere  moral  virtues  of  this  life.  The  fruits 


KELIGIOUS    INFLUENCE.  203 

to  be  looked  at  are  the  fruits  of  piety,  that  is,  indications  of 
permanent  attachment  to  the  Creator,  and  a  desire  to  obey 
his  commands.  We  must  look  for  these. 

There  is  no  objection  to  your  giving  particular  individuals 
special  instruction  adapted  to  their  wants  and  circumstances. 
You  may  do  this  by  writing  or  in  other  ways,  but  do  not 
lead  them  to  make  up  their  minds  fully  that  they  are  Chris- 
tians in  such  a  sense  as  to  induce  them  to  feel  that  the  work 
is  done.  Let  them  understand  that  becoming  a  Christian  is 
beginning  a  work,  not  finishing  it.  Be  cautious  how  you  form 
an  opinion  even  yourself  on  the  question  of  the  genuineness 
of  their  piety.  Be.  content  not  to  know.  You  will  be  more 
faithful  and  watchful  if  you  consider  it  uncertain,  and  they 
will  be  m*re  faithful  and  watchful  too. 

(5.)  Bring  very  fully  and  frequently  before  your  pupils  the 
practical  duties  of  religion  in  all  their  details,  especially  their 
duties  at  home,  to  their  parent?,  and  to  their  brothers  and  sis- 
ters. Do  not,  however,  allow  them  to  mistake  morality  for 
religion.  Show  them  dearly  what  piety  is  in  its  essence,  and 
this  yo^can  do  most  successfully  by  exhibiting  its  effects. 

(G.)  Finally,  let  me  insert  as  the  keystone  of  all  that  I  have 
been  saying  in  this  chapter,  be  sincere,  and  ardent,  and  con- 
sistent in  your  own  piety.  The  whole  structure  which  I  have 
been  attempting  to  bnild  will  tumble  into  ruins  without  this. 
Be  constantly  watchful  and  careful,  not  only  to  maintain  in- 
timate communion  with  God,  and  to  renew  it  daily  in  your 
seasons  of  retirement,  but  to  guard  your  conduct.  Let  piety 
control  and  regulate  it.  Show  your  pupils  that  it  makes  you 
amiable,  patient,  forbearing,  benevolent  in  little  things  as  well 
as  in  great  things,  and  your  example  will  co-operate  with 
your  instructions,  and  allure  your  pupils  to  walk  in  the  paths 
which  you  tread.  But  no  clearness  and  faithfulness  in  relig- 
ious teaching  will  atone  for  tha  injury  which  a  bad  example 
will  effect.  Conduct  speaks  louder  than  words,  and  no 'per- 
sons arc  more  shrewd  than  the  young  to  discover  the  hollow- 


204  THE   TEACHER. 

ness  of  empty  professions,  and  the  heartlessness  of  mere  pre- 
tended interest  in  their  good. 

I  am  aware  that  this  book  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
who  may  take  little  interest  in  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 
To  such  I  may  perhaps  OAVC  an  apology  for  having  thus  fully 
discussed  a  topic  in  which  only  a  part  of  my  readers  can  be 
supposed  to  be  interested.  My  apology  is  this :  It  is  obvious 
and  unquestionable  that  we  all  owe  allegiance  to  the  Su- 
preme. It  is  so  obvious  and  unquestionable  as  to  be  entirely 
beyond  the  necessity  of  proof,  for  it  is  plain  that  nothing  but 
such  a  bond  of  union  can  keep  the  peace  .among  the  millions 
of  distinct  intelligences  with  which  the  creation  is  filled.  It 
is  therefore  the  plain  duty  of  every  man  to  establish  that  con- 
nection between  himself  and  his  Maker  which  the  Bible  re- 
quires, and  to  do  what  he  can  to  bring  others  to  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  piety.  These  truths  are  so  plain  that  they 
admit  of  no  discussion  and  no  denial,  and  it  seems  to  me 
highly  unsafe  for  any  man  to  neglect  or  to  postpone  the  per- 
formance of  the  duty  which  arises  from  them.  A  s^U  great- 
er hazard  is  incurred  when  such  a  man,  having  forty  or  fifty 
fellow-beings  almost  entirely  under  his  influence,  leads  them, 
by  his  example,  away  from  their  Maker,  and  so  far  that  he 
must,  in  many  cases,  hopelessly  confirm  the  separation. 
With  these  views,  I  could  not,  when  writing  on  the  duties  of 
a  teacher  of  the  young,  refrain  from  bringing  distinctly  to 
view  this  which  has  so  imperious  a  claim. 


MOUNT  VERNON-    SCHOOL. 


205 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL. 


\    ERIIAPS  there  is  no  way  by  which  teacli- 

%  ers  can,  in  a  given  time,  do  more  to  acquire 

|  o  a  knowledge  of  their  art,  and  an  interest  in 

it,  than  by  visiting  each  others'  schools. 

It  is  not  always  the  case  that  any  thing 
is  observed  by  the  visitor  which  he  can  directly  and  wholly 
introduce-  into  his  own  school,  but  what  he  sees  suggests  to 
him  modifications  or  changes,  and  it  gives  him,  at  any  rate, 
renewed  strength  and  resolution  in  his  work  to  see  how  sim- 
ilar objects  are  accomplished,  or  similar  difficulties  removed 
by -others.  I  have  often  thought  that  there  ought,  on  this 
account,  to  be  far  greater  freedom  and  frequency  in  the  inter- 
change of  visits  than  there  is. 

Next,  however,  to  a  visit  to  a  school,  comes  the  reading 
of  a  vivid  description  of  it.  I  do  not  mean  a  cold,  theoretical 
exposition  of  the  general  principles  of  its  management  and 
instruction,  for  these  are  essentially  the  same  in  all  good 
schools.  I  mean  a  minute  accoVint  of  the  plans  and  arrange- 
ments by  which  these  general  principles  are  applied.  Sup- 
pose twenty  of  the  most  successful  teachers  in  New  England 
would  write  such  a  description,  each  of  his  own  school,  how 
valuable  would  be  the  volume  which  should  contain  thorn ! 


206  THE    TEACHER. 

With  these  views,  I  have  concluded  to  devote  one  chapter 
to  the  description  of  a  school  which  was  for  several  years  un- 
der my  care.*  The  account  was  originally  prepared  and 
printed,  but  not  published,  for  the  purpose  of  distribution 
among  the  scholars,  simply  because  this  seemed  to  be  the 
easiest  and  surest  method  of  making  them,  on  their  admis- 
sion to  the  school,  acquainted  with  its  arrangements  and 
plans.  It  is  addressed,  therefore,  throughout  to  a  pupil,  and 
I  preserve  its  original  form,  as,  by  its  being  addressed  to  pu- 
pils, and  intended  to  influence  them,  it  is  an  example  of  the 
mode  of  address  and  the  kind  of  influence  recommended  in 
this  work.  It  was  chiefly  designed  for  new  scholars ;  a  copy 
of  it  was  presented  to  each  on  the  day  of  her  admission  to 
the  school,  and  it  was  made  her  first  duty  to  read  it  atten- 
tively. 

The  system  which  it  describes  is  one  which  gradually  grew 
up  in  the  institution  under  the  writer's  care.  The  school 
was  commenced  with  a  small  number  of  pupils,  and  without 
any  system  or  plan  whatever,  and  the  one  here  described 
was  formed  insensibly  and  by  slow  degrees,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  various  and  accidental  circumstances.  I  have  no 
idea  that  it  is  superior  to  the  plans  of  government  and  in- 
struction adopted  in  many  other  schools.  It  is  true  that 
there  must  necessarily  be  some  system  in  every  large  institu- 
tion ;  but  various  instructors  will  fall  upon  different  princi- 
ples of  organization,  which  will  naturally  be  such  as  arc 
adapted  to  the  habits  of  thought  and  manner  of  instruction 
of  their  respective  authors,  and  consequently  each  will  be  best 
for  its  own  place.  While,  therefore,  some  system — some 
methodical  ai-rangcment  is  necessary  in  all  schools,  it  is  not 
necessary  that  it  should  be  Ae  same  in  all.  It  is  not  even 
desirable  that  it  should  be.  I  consider  this  plan  as  only  one 
among  a  multitude  of  others,  each  of  which  will  be  success- 

*  The  author  was  still  connected  with  this  school  at  the  time  when 
this  work  was  written. 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  207 

ful,  not  by  the  power  of  its  intrinsic  qualities,  but  just  in 
proportion  to  the  ability  and  faithfulness  with  which  it  is 
carried  into  effect. 

There  may  be  features  of  this  plan  which  teachers  who 
may  read  it  may  be  inclined  to  adopt.  In  other  cases,  sug- 
gestions may  occur  to  the  mind  of  the  reader,  which  may 
modify  in  sonic  degree  his  present  plans.  Others  may  merely 
be  interested  in  seeing  how  others  effect  what  they,  by  other 
methods,  arc  equally  successful  in  effecting. 

It  is  in  these  and  similar  ways  that  I  have  often  myself 
been  highly  benefited  in  visiting  schools  and  in  reading  de- 
scriptions of  them,  and  it  is  for  such  purposes  that  I  insert 
the  account  here. 


TO  A  NEW  SCHOLAR  ON  HER  ADMISSION  TO  THE  MOUNT  VERNON 
SCHOOL. 

As  a  large  school  is  necessarily  somewhat  complicated  in 
its  plan,  and  as  new  scholars  usually  find  that  it  requires 
some  time  and  gives  them  no  little  trouble  to  understand  the 
arrangements  they  find  in  operation  here,  I  have  concluded 
to  write  a  brief  description  of  these  arrangements,  by  help  of 
which  you  will,  I  hope,  the  sooner  feel  at  home  in  your  ncAv 
place  of  duty.  That  I  may  be  more  distinct  and  specific,  I 
shall  class  what  I  have  to  say  under  separate  heads. 

I.    YOUR   PERSONAL   DUTY. 

Your  first  anxiety  as  you  come  into  the  school-room,  and 
take  your  seat  among  the  busy  multitude,  if  you  are  consci- 
entiously desirous  of  doing  your  duty,  will  be,  lest,  ignorant 
as  you  arc  of  the  whole  plan  and  of  all  the  regulations  of  the 
institution,  you  should  inadvertently  do  what  will  be  consid- 
ered wrong.  I  wish  first,  then,  to  put  you  at  rest  on  this 
score.  There  is  but  one  rule  of  this  school.  That  you  can 
easily  keep. 

You  will  observe  on  one  side  of  my  desk  a  clock  upon  the 


208  THE   TEACHER. 

wall,  and  not  far  from  it  a  piece  of  apparatus  that  is  proba- 
bly new  to  you.  It  is  a  metallic  plate,  upon  which  are  mark- 
ed, in  gilded  letters,  the  words  "Study  Hours"  This  is  up- 
right, but  it  is  so  attached  by  its  lower  edge  to  its  support  by 
means  of  a  hinge  that  it  can  fall  over  from  above,  and  thus 
be  in  a  horizontal  position  ;  or  it  will  rest  in  an  inclined  posi- 
tion— half  down,  as  it  is  called.  It  is  drawn  up  and  let  down 
by  a  cord  passing  over  a  pulley.  When  it  passes  either  way, 
its  upper  part  touches  a  bell,  which  gives  all  in  the  room  no- 
tice of  its  motion. 

Now  when  this  "Study  Card"*  as  the  scholars  call  it,  is 
up,  so  that  the  words  "  STUDY  HOURS"  are  presented  to  the 
view  of  the  school,  it  is  the  signal  for  silence  and  study. 
THERE  is  THEN  TO  BE  NO  coaniuNiCA-noN  AND  NO  LEAVING 

OF  SEATS    EXCEPT  AT  THE  DIRECTION    OF   TEACHERS.       When 

it  is  half  down,  each  scholar  may  leave  her  seat  and  whisper, 
but  she  must  do  nothing  which  will  disturb  otlicrs.  When 
it  is  down,  all  the  duties  of  school  arc  suspended,  and  schol- 
ars are  left  entirely  to  their  liberty. 

As  this  is  the  only  rule  of  the  school,  it  deserves  a  little 
more  full  explanation ;  for  not  only  your  progress  in  study, 
but  your  influence  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  school, 
and,  consequently,  your  peace  and  happiness  while  you  arc  a 
member  of  it,  will  depend  upon  the  strictness  with  which  you 
observe  it. 

Whenever,  then,  the  study  card  goes  up,  and  you  hear  the 
sound  of  its  little  bell,  immediately  and  instantaneously  stop, 
whatever  you  are  saying.  If  you  are  away  from  your  seat, 
go  directly  to  it  and  there  remain,  and  forget  in  your  own 
silent  and  solitary  studies,  so  far  as  you  can,  all  that  arc 
around  you.  You  will  remember  that  all  communication  is 
forbidden.  Whispering,  making  signs,  writing  upon  paper 
or  a  slate,  bowing  to  any  one,  and,  in  fact,  every  possible  wny 
by  which  one  person  may  have  any  sort  of  mental  intercourse 
*  This  apparatus  has  been  previously  described.  Sec  p.  47. 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  209 

* 

with  another,  is  wrong.  A  large  number  of  the  scholars  take 
a  pride  and  pleasure  in  carrying  this  rule  into  as  perfect  an 
observance  as  possible.  They  say  that  as  this  is  the  only 
rule  with  which  I  trouble  them,  they  ought  certainly  to  ob- 
serve this  faithfully.  I  myself,  however,  put  it  upon  other 
ground.  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  better  and  pleasanter  for 
you  to  observe  it  most  rigidly,  if  it  is  attempted  to  be  en- 
forced at  all. 

You  will  ask,  "  Can  not  we  obtain  permission  of  you  or  of 
the  teachers  to  leave  our  seats  or  to  whisper  if  it  is  necessa- 
ry 1"  The  answer  is  "No."  You  must  never  ask  permis- 
sion of  me  or  of  the  teachers.  You  can  leave  scats  or  speak 
at  the  direction  of  the  teachers,  that  is,  when  they  of  their  own 
accord  ask  you  to  do  it,  but  you  arc  never  to  ask  their  per- 
mission. If  you  should,  and  if  any  teachers  should  give  you 
permission,  it  would  be  of  no  avail.  I  have  never  given 
them  authority  to  grant  any  permissions  of  the  kind. 

You  will  then  say,  "  Arc  we  never,  on  any  occasion  what- 
ever, to  leave  our  seats  in  study  hours?"  Yes,  you  are. 
There  arc  two  ways : 

1.  At  tJie  direction  of  teachers. — Going  to  and  from  recita- 
tions is  considered  as  at  the  direction  of  teachers.  So,  if  a 
person  is  requested  by  a  teacher  to  transact  any  business,  or 
is  elected  to  a  public  office,  or  appointed  upon  a  committee, 
leaving  seats  or  speaking,  so  far  as  is  really  necessary  for  the 
accomplishing  such  a  purpose,  is  considered  as  at  the  direc- 
tion of  teachers,  and  is  consequently  right.  In  the  same 
manner,  if  a  teacher  should  ask  you  individually,  or  give  gen- 
eral notice  to  the  members  of  a  clasp,  to  come  to  her  seat  for 
private  instruction,  or  to  go  to  any  part  of  the  school-room 
fpr  her,  it  would  be  right  to  do  it.  The  distinction,  you  ob- 
serve, is  this:  the  teacher  may,  of  her  own  accord,  direct  any 
leaving  of  seats  which  she  may  think  necessary  to  accomplish 
the  objects  of  the  school.  She  must  not,  however,  at  the  re- 
quest of  an  individual,  for  the  sake  of  her  mere  private  conve- 


210  THE   TEACHER. 

ft 

nicnce,  give  her  permission  to  speak  or  to  leave  her  seat.  If, 
for  example,  a  teacher  should  say  to  you  in  your  class,  "  As 
soon  as  you  have  performed  a  certain  work  you  may  bring  it 
to  me,"  you  would,  in  bringing  it,  be  acting  under  her  di- 
rection, and  would  consequently  do  right.  If,  however,  you 
should  want  a  pencil,  and  should  ask  her  to  givo  you  leave 
to  borrow  it,  even  if  she  should  give  you  leave  you  would  do 
wrong  to  go,  for  you  would  not  be  acting  at  her  direction, 
but  simply  by  her  consent,  and  she  has  no  authority  to  grant 
consent. 

2.  The  second  case  in  which  you  may  leave  your  seat  is 
when  some  very  uncommon  occurrence  takes  place,  which  is 
sufficient  reason  for  suspending  all  rules.  If  your  neighbor 
is  faint,  you  may  speak  to  her,  and,  if  necessary,  lead  her  out. 
If  your  mother  or  some  other  friend  should  come  into  the 
school-room,  you  can  go  and  sit  with  her  upon  the  sofa,  and 
talk  about  the  school.*  And  so  in  many  other  similar  cases. 
Be  very  careful  not  to  abuse  this  privilege,  and  make  slight 
causes  the  grounds  of  your  exceptions.  It  ought  to  be  a  very 
clear  case.  If  a  young  lady  is  unwell  in  a  trifling  degree,  so 
as  to  need  no  assistance,  you  would  evidently  do  wrong  to 
talk  to  her.  The  rule,  in  fact,  is  very  similar  to  that  which 
all  well-bred  people  observe  at  church.  They  never  speak 
or  leave  their  seats  unless  some  really  important  cause,  such 
as  sickness,  requires  them  to  break  over  all  rules  and  go  out. 
You  have,  in  the  same  manner,  in  really  important  cases,  such 
as  serious  sickness  in  your  own  case  or  in  that  of  your  com- 
panions, or  the  coming  in  of  a  stranger,  or  any  thing  else 
equally  extraordinary,  power  to  lay  aside  any  rule,  and  to  act 
as  the  emergency  may  require.  In  using  this  discretion,  how- 
ever, be  sure  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  In  such  cases,  never  ask 
permission.  You  must  act  on  your  own  responsibility. 
Reasons  for  this  rule. — When  the  school  was  first  estab- 
*  A  sofa  was  placed  against  the  wall,  by  the  side  of  the  teachers'  desk, 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors. 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  211 

lished,  there  was  no  absolute  prohibition  of  whispering. 
Each  scholar  was  allowed  to  whisper  in  relation  to  her  stud- 
ies. They  were  often,  very  often,  enjoined  to  be  conscien- 
tious and  faithful,  but,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  the 
experiment  failed.  It  was  almost  universally  the  practice  to 
whisper  more  or  less  about  subjects  entirely  foreign  to  the 
business  of  the  school.  This  all  the  scholars  repeatedly  ac- 
knowledged ;  and  they  almost  unanimously  admitted  that  the 
good  of  the  school  required  the  prohibition  of  all  communi- 
cation during  certain  hours.  I  gave  them  their  choice,  either 
always  to  ask  permission  when  they  wished  to  speak,  or  to 
have  a  certain  time  allowed  for  the  purpose,  during  which 
free  intercommunication  might  be  allowed  to  all  the  school, 
with  the  understanding,  however,  that,  out  of  this  time,  no 
permission  should  ever  be  asked  or  granted.  They  very  wise- 
ly chose  the  latter  plan,  and  the  Study  Card  was  constructed 
and  put  up,  to  mark  the  times  of  free  communication  and  of 
silent  study.  The  card  was  at  first  down  every  half  hour  for 
one  or  two  minni^s.  The  scholars  afterward  thinking  that 
their  intellectual  habits  would  be  improved  and  the  welfare 
of  the  school  promoted  by  their  having  a  longer  time  for  un- 
interrupted study,  of  their  own  accord,  without  any  influence 
from  me,  proposed  that  the  card  should  be  down  only  once 
an  hour.  This  plan  was  adopted  by  them  by  vote.  I  wish 
it  to  be  understood  that  it  was  not  my  plan,  but  theirs ;  and 
that  I  am  at  any  time  willing  to  have  the  Study  Card  down 
once  in  half  an  hour,  whenever  a  majority  of  the  scholars, 
voting  by  ballot,  desire  it. 

You  will  find  that  this  system  of  having  a  distinct  time 
for  whispering,  when  all  may  whisper  freely,  all  communica- 
tion being  entirely  excluded  at  other  times,  will  at  first  give 
you  some  trouble.  It  will  be  hard  for  you,  if  you  are  not 
accustomed  to  it,  to  learn  conscientiously  and  faithfully  to 
comply.  Besides,  at  first  you  will  often  need  some  little  in- 
formation or  desire  to  ask  for  an  article  which  you  might  ob- 


212  THE   TEACHER. 

tain  in  a  moment,  but  which  you  can  not  innocently  ask  for 
till  the  card  is  down,  and  this  might  keep  you  waiting  an 
hour.  You  will,  however,  after  a  few  such  instances,  soon 
learn  to  make  your  preparations  beforehand,  and  if  you  arc 
a  girl  of  enlarged  views  and  elevated  feelings,  you  Avill  good- 
Immoredly  acquiesce  in  suffering  a  little  inconvenience  your- 
self for  the  sake  of  helping  to  preserve  those  distinct  and  well 
defined  lines  by  which  all  boundaries  must  be  marked  in  a, 
large  establishment,  if  order  and  system  are  to  be  preserved 
at  all. 

Though  at  first  you  may  experience  a  little  inconvenience, 
you  will  soon  take  pleasure  in  the  scientific  strictness  of  the 
plan.  It  will  gratify  you  to  observe  the  profound  stillness 
of  the  room  where  a  hundred  are  studying.  You  will  take 
pleasure  in  observing  the  sudden  transition  from  the  silence 
of  study  hours  to  the  joyful  sounds  arid  the  animating  activ- 
ity of  recess  when  the  Study  Card  goes  down ;  and  then 
when  it  rises  again  at  the  close  of  the  recess,  you  will  be 
gratified  to  observe  how  suddenly  the  sounds  which  have  filled 
the  air,  and  made  the  room  so  lively  a  scene,  are  hushed  into 
silence  by  the  single  and  almost  inaudible  touch  of  that  little 
bell.  You  will  take  pleasure  in  this ;  for  young  and  old  al- 
ways take  pleasure  in  the  strict  and  rigid  operation  of  system 
rather  than  in  laxity  and  disorder.  I  am  convinced,  also, 
that  the  scholars  do  like  the  operation  of  this  plan,  for  I  do 
not  have  to  make  any  efforts  to  sustain  it.  With  the  excep- 
tion that  occasionally,  usually  not  oftener  than  once  in  sev- 
eral months,  I  allude  to  the  subject,  and  that  chiefly  on  ac- 
count of  a  few  careless  and  unfaithful  individuals,  I  have  lit- 
tle to  say  or  to  do  to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  Study 
Card.  Most  of  the  scholars  obey  it  of  their  own  accord,  im- 
plicitly and  cordially.  And  I  believe  they  consider  this  faith- 
ful monitor  not  only  one  of  the  most  useful,  but  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  friends  they  have.  We  should  not  only  regret 
its  services,  but  miss  its  company  if  it  should  be  taken  away. 


MOUNT  VEEXON  SCHOOL.  213 

This  regulation  then,  namely,  to  abstain  from  all  commu- 
nication with  one  another,  and  from  all  leaving  of  seats,  at 
certain  times  which  are  marked  by  the  position  of  the  Study 
Card,  is  the  only  one  which  can  properly  be  called  a  rule  of 
the  school.  There  are  a  great  many  arrangements  and  plans 
relating  to  the  instruction  of  the  pupils,  but  no  other  specific 
rules  relating  to  their  conduct.  You  are,  of  course,  while  in 
the  school,  under  the  same  moral  obligations  which  rest  upon 
you  elsewhere.  You  must  be  kind  to  one  another,  respectful 
to  superiors,  and  quiet  and  orderly  in  your  deportment.  You 
must  do  nothing  to  cncroacli  upon  another's  rights,  or  to  in- 
terrupt and  disturb  your  companions  in  their  pursuits.  Ycu 
must  not  produce  disorder,  or  be  wasteful  of  the  public  prop- 
erty, or  do  any  thing  else  which  you  might  know  is  in  itself 
wrong.  But  you  arc  to  avoid  these  things,  not  because  there 
are  any  rules  in  this  school  against  them,  for  there  are  none, 
but  because  they  arc  in  themselves  wrong — in  all  places  and 
under  all  circumstances,  wrong.  The  universal  and  un- 
changeable principles  of  duty  are  the  same  here  as  elsewhere. 
I  do  not  make  rules  pointing  them  out,  but  expect  that  you 
will,  through  your  own  conscience  and  moral  principle,  dis- 
cover and  obey  them. 

It  is  wrong,  for  instance,  for  you  to  speak  harshly  or  un- 
kindly to  your  companions,  or  to  do  any  thing  to  wound  their 
feelings  unnecessarily,  in  any  way.  But  this  is  a  universal 
principle  of  duty,  not  a  rule  of  school. 

So  it  is  wrong  for  you  to  be  rude  and  noisy,  and  thus  dis- 
turb others  who  arc  studying,  or  to  brush  by  them  carelessly, 
so  as  to  jostle  them  at  their  writing  gr  derange  their  books. 
But  to  be  careful  not  to  do  injury  to  others  in  the  reckless 
pursuit  of  our  own  pleasures  is  a  universal  principle  of  duty, 
not  a  rule  of  school. 

Such  a  case  as  this,  for  example,  once  occurred.  A  num- 
ber of  little  girls  began  to  amuse  themselves  in  recess  with 
running  about  among  the  desks  in  pursuit  of  one  another, 


214 


THE  TEACHER. 


and  they  told  me,  in  excuse  for  it,  when  I  called  them  to  ac- 
count, that  they  did  not  know  that  it  was  "against  (lie  rule." 


"  It  is  not  against  the  rule,"  said  I ;  "  I  have  never  made 
any  rule  against  running  about  among  the  desks." 

"Then,"  asked  they,  "did  we  do  wrong'?" 

"  Do  you  think  it  Avould  be  a  good  plan,"  I  inquired,  "  to 
have  it  a  common  amusement  in  the  recess  for  the  girls  to 
hunt  each  other  among  the  desks?" 

"No,  sir,"  they  replied,  simultaneously. 

"Why  not?  There  arc  some  reasons.  I  do  not  know, 
however,  whether  you  will  have- the  ingenuity  to  think  of 
them." 

"We  may  start  the- desks  from  their  places,"  said  one. 

"JY"es,"  said  I,  "they  arc  fastened  down  very  slightly,  so 
that  I  may  easily  alter  their  position." 

"  We  might  upset  the  inkstands,"  said  another. 

"  Sometimes,"  added  a  third,  "  we  run  against  the  schol- 
ars who  are  sitting  in  their  seats." 

"It  seems,  then,  you  have  ingenuity  enough  to  discover 


MOUNT  VEKKON  SCHOOL.  215 

the  reasons.  Why  did  not  these  reasons  prevent  your  doing 
lit" 

"  We  did  not  think  of  them  before." 

"  True ;  that  is  the  exact  state  of  the  case.  Now,  when 
persons  are  so  eager  to  promote  their  own  enjoyment  as  to 
forget  the  rights  and  the  comforts  of  others,  it  is  scljishncss. 
Now  is  there  any  rule  in  this  school  against  selfishness  ?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  You  arc  right.  There  is  not.  But  selfishness  is  wrong, 
very  wrong,  in  whatever  form  it  appears,  here  and  every 
where  else,  and  that  whether  1  make  any  rules  against  it  or 
not." 

You  will  see,  from  this  anecdote,  that,  though  there  is  but 
one  rule  of  the  school,  I  by  no  means  intend  to  say  that  there 
is  only  one  way  of  doing  wrong  here.  That  would  be  very  ab- 
surd. You  must  not  do  any  thing  which  you  may  know,  Ijy  prop- 
er reflection,  to  be  in  itself  wrong.  This,  hoAvevcr,  is  a  univer- 
sal principle  of  duty,  not  a  rule  of  the  Mount  Vernon  School. 
If  I  should  attempt  to  make  rules  which  would  specify  and 
prohibit  every  possible  way  by  which  you  might  do  wrong, 
my  laws  would  be  innumerable,  and  even  then  I  should  fail 
of  securing  my  object,  unless  you  had  the  disposition  to  do 
your  duty.  No  legislation  can  enact  laws  as  fast  as  a  per- 
verted ingenuity  can  find  means  to  evade  them. 

You  will  perhaps  ask  what  will  be  the  consequence  if  we 
transgress  either  the  single  rule  of  the  school  or  any  of  the 
great  principles  of  duty.  In  other  words,  What  are  the  pun- 
ishments which  are  resorted  to  in  the  Mount/Vcrnon  School  ? 
The  answer  is,  there  are  no  punishments.  I  do  not  say  that 
I  should  not,  in  case'  all  other  means  should  fail,  resort  to 
the  most  decisive  measures  to  secure  obedience  and  subordi- 
nation. Most  certainly  I  should  do  so,  as  it  would  plainly 
be  my  duty  to  do  it.  If  you  should  at  any  time  be  so  un- 
happy as  to  violate  your  obligations  to  yourself  to  your  com- 
panions, or  to  me — should  you  misimprovc  your  time,  or  c:t- 


216  TIIE   TEACHER. 

hibit  an  unkind  or  u  selfish  spirit,  or  be  disrespectful  or  in- 
subordinate to  your  teachers,  I  should  go  frankly  and  open- 
ly, but  kindly  to  you,  and  endeavor  .to  convince  you  of  your 
fault.  I  should  very  probably  do  this  by  addressing  a  note 
to  you,  as  I  suppose  this  would  be  less  unpleasant  to  you 
than  a  conversation.  In  such  a  case,  I  shall  hope  that  you 
Avill  as  frankly  and  openly  reply,  telling  me  whether  you  ad- 
mit your  fault  and  are  determined  to  amend,  or  else  inform- 
ing me  of  the  contrary.  I  shall  wish  you  to  be  sincere,  and 
then  I  shall  know  what  course,  to  take  next.  But  as  to  the 
consequences  which  may  result  to  you  if  you  should  persist 
in  what  is  wrong,  it  is  not  necessary  that  you  should  know 
them  beforehand.  They  who  wander  from  duty  always 
plunge  themselves  into  troubles  which  they  do  not  anticipate  ; 
and  if  you  do  what,  at  the  time  you  arc  doing  it,  you  know 
to  be  wrong,  it  will  not  be  unjust  that  you  should  suffer  the 
consequences,  even  if  they  were  not  beforehand  understood 
and  expected.  This  will  be  the  case  with  you  all  through 
life,  and  it  will  be  the  case  here. 

I  say  it  icill  be  the  case  here ;  I  ought  rather  to  say  that 
it  will  be  the  case  should  you  be  so  unhappy  as  to  do  wrong 
and  to  persist  in  it.  Such  persistance,  however,  never  occurs 
— at  least  it  occurs  so  seldom,  and  at  intervals  so  great,  that 
every  thing  of  the  nature  of  punishment,  that  is,  the  depriv- 
ing a  pupil  of  any  enjoyment,  or  subjecting  her  to  any  dis- 
grace, qr  giving  her  pain  in  any  way  in  consequence  of  her 
faults,  except  the  simple  pain  of  awakening  conscience  in  her 
bosom,  is  almost  entirely  unknown.  I  hope  that  you  will 
always  be  ready  to  confess  and  forsake  your  faults,  and  en- 
deavor, while  you  remain  in  school,  to  improve  in  character, 
and  attain,  as  far  as  possible,  every  moral  excellence. 

I  ought  to  remark,  before  dismissing  this  topic,  that  I  place 
very  great  confidence  in  the  scholars  in  regard  to  their  moral 
conduct  and  deportment,  and  they  fully  deserve  it.  I  have 
no  care  and  no  tfouble  in  what  is  commonly  called  the  gov- 


MOUNT   VEKNON   SCHOOL.  217 

eminent  of  (he  school.  Neither  myself  nor  any  one  else  is  em- 
ployed in  any  way  in  watching  the  scholars,  or  keeping  any 
sort  of  account  of  them.  I  should  not  at  any  time  hesitate 
to  call  all  the  teachers  into  an  adjoining  room,  leaving  the 
school  alone  for  half  an  hour,  and  I  should  be  confident  that, 
at  such  a  time,  order,  and  stillness,  and  attention  to  study 
would  prevail  as  much  as  ever.  The  scholars  would  not 
look  to  see  whether  I  was  in  my  desk,  but  whether  the  Study 
Card  was  up.  The  school  was  left  in  this  way,  half  an  hour 
every  day,  during  a  quarter,  that  we  might  have  a  teachers' 
meeting,  and  the  studies  went  on  generally  quite  as  well,  to 
say  the  least,  as  when  the  teachers  were  present.  One  or 
two  instances  of  irregular  conduct  occurred.  I  do  not  ROW 
recollect  precisely  what  they  were.  They  were,  however, 
fully  acknowledged  and  not  repeated,  and  I  believe  the  schol- 
ars were  generally  more  scrupulous  and  faithful  then  than  at 
other  times.  They  would  not  betray  the  confidence  reposed 
in  them.  This  plan  was  continued  until  it  was  found  more 
convenient  to  have  the  teachers'  meetings  in  the  afternoons. 

When  any  thing  wrong  is  done  in  school,  I  generally  state 
the  case,  and  request  the  individuals  who  have  done  it  to  let 
me  know  who  they  are.  They  inform  me  sometimes  by  notes 
and  sometimes  in  conversation  ;  but  they  always  inform  me. 
The  plan  always  succeeds.  The  scholars  all  know  that  there 
is  nothing  to  be  feared  from  confessing  faults  to  me ;  but  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  most  direct  and  certain  way  to  se- 
cure returning  peace  and  happiness. 

I  can  illustrate  this  by  describing  a  case  which  actually 
occurred,  though  the  description  is  not  to  be  considered  so 
much  an  accurate  account  of  what  took  place  in  a  particular 
instance  as  an  illustration  of  the  general  spirit  and  manner  in 
which  such  cases  are  disposed  of.  I  accidentally  understood 
that  some  of  the  younger  scholars  were  in  the  habit,  during 
recesses  and  after  school,  of  ringing  the  door-bell  and  then 
running  away,  to  amuse  themselves  with  the  perplexity  of 

K 


218  THE  TEACHER. 

their  companions  who  should  go  to  the  door  and  find  no  one 
there.  I  explained  in  a  few  words,  one  day,  to  the  school, 
that  this  was  wrong. 

"How  many,"  I  then  asked,  "have  ever  been  put  to  the 
trouble  to  go  to  the  door  when  the  bell  has  thus  been  rung "? 
They  may  rise." 

A  very  large  number  of  scholars  stood  up.  Those  who 
had  done  the  mischief  were  evidently  surprised  at  the  extent 
of  the  trouble  they  had  occasioned. 

"Now,"  I  continued,  "I  think  all  will  be  convinced  that 
the  trouble  which  this  practice  has  occasioned  to  the  fifty  or 
sixty  young  ladies,  who  can  not  be  expected  to  find  amuse- 
ment in  such  a  way,  is  far  greater  than  the  pleasure  it  can 
have  given  to  the  few  who  are  young  enough  to  have  enjoyed 
it.  Therefore  it  was  wrong.  Do  you  think  that  the  girls  who 
rang  the  bell  might  have  known  this  by  proper  reflection?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  the  school  generally  answered. 

"  I  do  not  mean,"  said  I,  "  if  they  had  set  themselves  for- 
mally at  work  to  think  about  the  subject,  but  with  such  a 
degree  of  reflection  as  ought  reasonably  to  be  expected  of 
little  girls  in  the  hilarity  of  recess  and  of  play." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  was  still  the  reply,  but  fainter  than  before. 

"  There  is  one  way  by  which  I  might  ascertain  whether 
you  were  old  enough  to  know  that  this  was  wrong,  and  that 
is  by  asking  those  who  have  refrained  from  doing  this,  be- 
cause they  supposed  it  would  be  wrong,  to  rise.  Then,  if 
some  of  the  youngest  scholars  in  school  should  stand  up,  as  I 
have  no  doubt  they  would,  it  would  prove  that  all  might 
have  known,  if  they  had  been  equally  conscientious.  But  if 
I  ask  those  to  rise  who  have  not  rung  the  bell,  I  shall  make 
known  to  the  whole  school  who  they  are  that  have  done  it, 
and  I  wish  that  the  exposure  of  faults  should  be  private,  un- 
less it  is  nccessatij  that  it  should  be  public.  I  will,  therefore, 
not  do  it.  I  have  myself,  however,  no  doubt  that  all  might 
have  known  that  it  was  wron". 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  219 

"There  is,"  continued  I,  "another  injury  which  must 
grow  out  of  such  a  practice.  This  I  should  not  have  expect- 
ed the  little  girls  could  think  of. '  In  fact,  I  doubt  whether 
any  in  school  will  think  of  it.  Can  any  one  tell  me  what 
it  is?" 

No  one  replied. 

"I  should  suppose  that  it  would  lead  you  to  disregard  the 
bell  when  it  rings,  and  that  consequently  a  gentleman  or  lady 
might  sometimes  ring  in  vain,  the  scholars  near  the  door  say- 
ing, 'Oh,  it  is  only  the  little  girls.'  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  was  heard  from  all  parts  of  the  room. 

I  found,  from  farther  inquiry,  that  this  had  been  the  case, 
and  I  closed  by  saying, 

"  I  am  satisfied  that  those  who  have  inadvertently  fallen 
into  this  practice  arc  sorry  for  it,  and  that  if  I  should  leave 
it  here,  no  more  cases  of  it  would  occur,  and  this  is  all  I 
wish.  At  the  same  time,  they  who  have  done  this  will  feel 
more  effectually  relieved  from  the  pain  which  having  done 
wrong  must  necessarily  give  them,  if  they  individually  ac- 
knowledge it  to  me.  I  wish,  therefore,  that  all  who  have 
thus  rung  the  bell  in  play  would  write  me  notes  stating  the 
facts.  If  any  one  does  not  do  it,  she  will  punish  herself  se- 
verely, for  she  will  feel  for  many  days  to  come  that  while 
her  companions  were  willing  to  acknowledge  their  faults,  she 
wished  to  conceal  and  cover  hers.  Conscience  will  reproach 
her  bitterly  for  her  insincerity,  and,  whenever  she  hears  the 
sound  of  the  door-bell,  it  will  remind  her  not  only  of  her 
fault,  but  of  what  is  far  worse,  her  ivillinyness  to  appear  inno- 
cent when  she  ivas  really  guilty." 

Before  the  close  of  the  school  I  had  eight  or  ten  notes  ac- 
knowledging the  fault,  describing  the  circumstances  of  each 
case,  and  expressing  promises  to  do  so  no  more. 

It  is  by  such  methods  as  this,  rather  than  by  threatening 
and  punishment,  that  I  manage  the  cases  of  discipline  which 
from  time  to  time  occur ;  but  even  such  as  this,  slight  as  it 


220  THE   TEACHER. 

is,  occur  very  seldom.  Weeks  and  weeks  sometimes  elapse 
without  one.  When  they  do  occur,  they  are  always  easily 
settled  by  confession  and  reform.  Sometimes  I  am  asked  to 
forgive  the  offense.  But  I  have  no  power  to  forgive.  God 
must  forgive  you  when  you  do  wrong,  or  the  burden  must 
remain.  My  duty  is  to  take  measures  to  prevent  future 
transgression,  and  to  lead  those  who  have  been  guilty  of  it 
to  God  for  pardon.  If  they  do  not  go  to  Him,  though  they 
may  satisfy  me,  as  principal  of  a  school,  by  not  repeating  the 
offence,  they  must  remain  unforgiven.  I  can  forget,  and  I  do 
forget.  For  example,  in  this  last  case  I  have  not  the  slight- 
est recollection  of  any  individual  who  was  engaged  in  it. 
The  evil  was  entirely  removed,  and  had  it  not  afforded  me  a 
convenient  illustration  here,  perhaps  I  should  never  have 
thought  of  it  again  ;  still,  it  may  not  yet  be  forgiven.  It  may 
seem  strange  that  I  should  speak  so  seriously  of  God's  for- 
giveness for  such  a  trifle  as  that.  Docs  He  notice  a  child's 
ringing  a  door-bell  in  play  ?  He  notices  when  a  child  is 
willing  to  yield  to  temptation  to  do  what  she  knows  to  be 
wrong,  and  to  act  even  in  the  slightest  trifle  from  a  selfish 
disregard  for  the  convenience  of  others.  This  spirit  He  al- 
ways notices,  and  though  I  may  stop  any  particular  form  of 
its  exhibition,  it  is  for  Him  alone  to  foi'give  it  and  to  purify 
the  heart  from  its  power.  But  I  shall  speak  more  particu- 
larly on  this  subject  under  the  head  of  Religious  Instruction. 

II.    ORDER    OF    DAILY    EXERCISES. 

There  will  be  given  you,  when  you  enter  the  school,  a  blank 
schedule,  in  which  the  divisions  of  each  forenoon  for  one 
week  are  marked,  and  in  which  your  own  employments  for 
every  half  hour  are  to  be  written.  (A  copy  of  this  is  inserted 
on  page  222.) 

This  schedule,  when  filled  up,  forms  a  sort  of  a  map  for  the 
week,  in  which  you  can  readily  find  what  are  your  duties  for 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  221 

any  particular  time.     The  following  description  will  enable 
you  better  to  understand  it. 

Opening  of  the  School. 

The  first  thing  which  will  call  your  attention  as  the  hour 
for  the  commencement  of  the  school  approaches  in  the  morn- 
ing is  the  ringing  of  a  bell  five  minutes  before  the  time  ar- 
rives by  the  regulator,  Avho  sits  at  the  curtained  desk  before 
the  Study  Card.  One  minute  before  the  time  the  bell  is 
rung  again,  which  is  the  signal  for  all  to  take  their  seats  and 
prepare  for  the  opening  of  the  school.  When  the  precise 
moment  arrives,  the  Study  Card  is  drawn  up,  and  at  the 
sound  of  its  little  bell,  all  the  scholars  recline  their  heads  upon 
their  desks,  and  unite  with  me  in  a  very  short  prayer  for  God's 
protection  and  blessing  during  the  day.  I  adopted  the  plan 
of  allowing  the  scholars  to  sit,  because  I  thought  it  would  be 
plcasanter  for  them,  and  they  have,  in  return,  been  generally, 
so  far  as  I  know,  faithful  in  complying  with  my  wish  that 
they  would  all  assume  the  posture  proposed,  so  that  the 
school  may  present  the  uniform  and  serious  aspect  which  is 
proper  when  we  arc  engaged  in  so  solemn  a  duty.  If  you 
move  your  chair  back  a  little,  you  will  find  the  posture  not 
inconvenient ;  but  the  only  reward  you  will  have  for  faithfully 
complying  with  the  general  custom  is  the  pleasure  of  doing 
your  duty,  for  no  one  watches  you,  and  you  would  not  be 
called  to  account  should  you  neglect  to  conform  to  the  usage 
of  the  school. 

I  hope,  however,  that  you  will  conform  to  it.  Indeed,  all 
truly  refined  and  well-bred  people  make  it  a  universal  rule 
of  life  to  conform  to  the  innocent  religious  usages  of  those 
around  them,  wherever  they  may  be. 

After  the  prayer  we  sing  one  or  two  verses  of 'a  hymn. 
The  music  is  led  by  a  piano,  and  we  wish  all  to  join  in  it 
who  can  sing.  The  exercises  which  follow  arc  exhibited  to 
the  eye  by  the  diagram  on  the  next  page. 


222 


THE   TEACHER. 


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MOUNT  VEENON  SCHOOL.  223 

I  now  proceed  to  describe  in  detail  the  several  hours,  as 
represented  in  the  diagram. 

First  Hour. — Evening  Lessons. 

The  first  hour  of  the  day,  as  you  will  see  by  the  schedule, 
is  marked  evening  lessons,  because  most,  though  not  all,  of 
the  studies  assigned  to  it  arc  intended  to  be  prepared  out  of 
school.  These  studies  arc  miscellaneous  in  their  character, 
comprising  Geography,  History,  Natural  and  Intellectual 
Philosophy,  and  Natural  History.  This  hour,  like  all  the 
other  hours  for  study,  is  divided  into  two  equal  parts,  some 
classes  reciting  in  the  first  part,  and  others  in  the  second.  A 
bell  is  always  rung  Jive  minutes  before  the  time  for  closing  the 
recitation,  to  give  the  teachers  notice  that  their  time  is  near- 
ly expired,  and  then  again  at  the  time,  to  give  notice  to  new 
classes  to  take  their  places.  Thus  you  will  observe  that  five 
minutes  before  the  half  hour  expires  the  bell  will  ring,  soon 
after  which  the  classes  in  recitation  will  take  their  seats. 
Precisely  at  the  end  of  the  half  hour  it  will  ring  again,  when 
new  classes  will  take  their  places.  In  the  same  manner,  no- 
tice is  given  five  minutes  before  the  second  half  of  the  hour 
expires,  and  so  in  all  the  other  three  hours. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  hour  the  Study  Card  will  be  let 
half  down  five  minutes,  and  you  will  perceive  that  the  sound 
of  its  bell  will  immediately  produce  a  decided  change  in  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  room.  It  is  the  signal,  as  has  been  be- 
fore explained,  for  universal  permission  to  whisper  and  to 
leave  scats,  though  not  for  loud  talking  or  play,  so  that  those 
who  wish  to  continue  their  studies  may  do  so  without  inter- 
ruption. "When  the  five-minute  period  has  expired  the  card 
goes  up  again,  and  its  sound  immediately  restores  silence  and 
order. 

Second  Hour. — Languages. 
We  then  commence  the  second  hour  of  the  school.     This 


224  THE   TEACHER. 

is  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  languages.  The  Latin,  French, 
and  English  classes  recite  at  this  time.  By  English  classes  I 
mean  those  studying  the  English  as  a  language,  that  is,  class- 
es in  Grammar,  lihetoric,  and  Composition.  The  hour  is 
divided  as  the  first  hour  is,  and  the  bell  is  rung  in  the  same 
way,  that  is,  at  the  close  of  each  half  hour,  and  also  five  min- 
utes before  the  close,  to  give  the  classes  notice  that  the  time 
for  recitation  is  about  to  expire. 

First  General  Exercise. 

You  will  observe,  then,  that  there  follows  upon  the  sched- 
ule a  quarter  of  an  hour  marked  G.  That  initial  stands  for 
General  Exercise,  and  when  it  arrives  each  pupil  is  to  lay 
aside  her  work,  and  attend  to  any  exercise  which  may  be 
proposed.  This  quarter  of  an  hour  is  appropriated  to  a  great 
variety  of  purposes.  Sometimes  I  give  a  short  and  familiar 
lecture  on  some  useful  subject  connected  Avith  science  or  art, 
or  the  principles  of  duty.  Sometimes  we  have  a  general 
reading  lesson.  Sometimes  we  turn  the  school  into  a  Bible 
class.  Again,  the  time  is  occupied  in  attending  to  some  gen- 
eral business  of  the  school.  The  bell  is  rung  one  minute  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  time,  and  when  the  period  appropriated 
to  this  purpose  has  actually  expired,  the  Study  Card,  for  the 
.  first  time  in  the  morning,  is  let  entirely  down,  and  the  room 
is  at  once  suddenly  transformed  into  a  scene  of  life,  and  mo- 
tion, and  gaycty; 

First  ILCCCSS. 

The  time  for  the  recess  is  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and,  as  you 
will  see,  it  is  marked  I\.  on  the  schedule.  We  have  various 
modes  of  amusing  ourselves,  and  finding  exercise  and  recrea- 
tion in  recesses.  Sometimes  the  girls  bring  their  battledores 
to  school.  Sometimes  they  have  a  large  number  of  soft  balls 
with  which  they  amuse  themselves.  A  more  common  amuse- 
ment is  marching  to  the  music  of  the  piano.  For  this  pur- 


MOUNT  VEBKON  SCHOOL.  22o 

pose  a  set  of  signals  by  the  whistle  has  been  devised,  by  which 
commands  are  communicated  to  the  school. 

In  these  and  similar  amusements  the  recesses  pass  away, 
and  one  minute  before  it  expires  the  bell  is  rung  to  give  no- 
tice of  the  approach  of  study  hours. 

At  this  signal  the  scholars  begin  to  prepare  for  a  return  to 
the  ordinary  duties  of  school,  and  when,  at  the  full  expiration 
of  the  recess,  the  Study  Card  again  goes  up,  silence,  and  at- 
tention, and  order  is  immediately  restored. 

Third  Hour. — Mathematics. 

There  follows  next,  as  you  will  see  by  reference  to  the 
schedule,  an  hour  marked  Mathematics.  It  is  time  for  study- 
ing and  reciting  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  Geometry,  and  similar 
studies.  It  is  divided,  as  the  previous  hours  were,  into  two 
equal  parts,  and  the  bell  is  rung,  as  has  been  described,  five 
minutes  before  the  close,  and  also  precisely  at  the  close  of 
each  half  hour. 

Second  General  Exercise. — Business. 

Then  follow  two  quarter  hours,  appropriated  like  thosa 
heretofore  described,  the  first  to  a  General  Exercise,  the  sec- 
ond to  a  recess.  At  the  first  of  these  the  general  business, 
of  the  school  is  transacted.  As  this  business  will  probably 
appear  new  to  you,  and  will  attract  your  attention,  I  will 
describe  its  nature  and  design. 

At  first  you  will  observe  a  young  lady  rise  at  the  secreta- 
ry's desk  to  read  a  journal  of  what  was  done  the  day  before. 
The  notices  which  I  gave,  the  arrangements  I  made,  the  sub- 
jects discussed  and  decided,  and,  in  fact,  every  thing  impor- 
tant and  interesting  in  the  business  or  occurrences  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  is  recorded  by  the  secretary  of  the  school,  and 
read  at  tin's  time.  This  journal  ought  not  to  be  a  mere  dry 
record  of  votes  and  business,  but,  as  far  as  possible,  an  inter- 
csiing  description,  in  a  narrative  style,  of  the  occurrences  of 

K2 


22G  THE   TEACHER. 

the  day.  The  secretary  must  keep  a  memorandum,  and  as- 
certain that  every  thing  important  really  finds  a  place  in  the 
record,  but  she  may  employ  any  good  writer  in  school  to 
prepare,  from  her  minutes,  the  full  account. 

After  the  record  is  read,  you  will  observe  me  take  from  a 
little  red  morocco  wrapper  which  has  been  brought  to  my 
desk  a  number  of  narrow  slips  of  paper,  which  I  am  to  read 
aloud.  In  most  assemblies,  it  is  customary  for  any  person 
Avishing  it  to  rise  in  his  place  and  propose  any  plan,  or,  as  it 
is  called,  "  make  any  motion"  that  he  pleases.  It  would  be 
unpleasant  for  a  young  lady  to  do  this  in  presence  of  a  hund- 
red companions,  and  we  have  consequently  resorted  to  anoth- 
er plan.  The  red  wrapper  is  placed  in  a  part  of  the  room 
accessible  to  all,  and  any  one  who  pleases  writes  upon  a  nar- 
row slip  of  paper  any  thing  she  wishes  to  lay  before  the  school, 
and  deposits  it  there,  and  at  the  appointed  time  the  whole 
are  brought  to  me.  These  propositions  are  of  various  kinds. 
I  can,  perhaps,  best  give  you  an  idea  of  them  by  such  spec- 
imens as  occur  to  me. 

"A.  B.  resigns  her  office  of  copyist,  as  she  is  about  to  leave  school." 

"  Proposed  that  a  class  in  Botany  be  formed.  There  are  many  who 
would  like  to  join  it." 

"When  will  vacation  commence'!" 

"  Proposed  that  a  music  committee  be  appointed,  so  that  we  can 
have  some  marching  in  recess." 

"  Proposed  that  school  begin  at  nine  o'clock." 

"  Mr.  Abbott,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  explain  to  us  what  is 
meant  by  the  Veto  Message  1" 

"Proposed  that  we  have  locks  upon  our  desks." 

You  see  that  the  variety  is  very  great,  and  there  are  usu- 
ally from  four  or  five  to  ton  or  fifteen  of  such  papers  daily. 
You  will  be  at  liberty  to  make  in  this  way  any  suggestion 
or  inquiry,  or  to  propose  any  change  you  please  in  any  part 
of  the  instruction  or  administration  of  the  school.  If  any 
thing  dissatisfies  you,  you  ought  not  to  murmur  at  it  in  pri- 
vate, or  complain  of  it  to  your  companions,  thus  injuring  to 


MOUNT   VEHNON   SCHOOL.  227 

no  purpose  both  your  own  peace  and  happiness  and  theirs, 
but  you  ought  immediately  to  bring  up  the  subject  in  the  way 
above  described,  that  the  evil  may  be  removed.  I  receive 
some  of  the  most  valuable  suggestions  in  this  way  from  the 
older  and  most  reflecting  pupils.  These  suggestions  are  read. 
Sometimes  I  decide  the  question  that  arises  myself.  Some- 
times I  say  that  the  pupils  may  decide  it.  Sometimes  I  ask 
their  opinion  and  wishes,  and  then,  after  taking  them  into 
consideration;  come  to  a  conclusion. 

For  example,  I  will  insert  a  few  of  these  propositions,  as 
these  papers  are  called,  describing  the  way  in  which  they 
\vould  be  disposed  of.  Most  of  them  are  real  cases. 

"Mr.  Abbott,  the  first  class  in  Geography  is  so  large  that  we  have 
not  room  in  the  recitation  seats.  Can  not  we  have  another  place!" 

After  reading  this,  I  should  perhaps  say, 
"  The  class  in  Geography  may  rise  and  be  counted." 
They  rise.     Those  in  each  division  are  counted  by  the 
proper  officer,  as  will  hereafter  be  explained,  and  the  numbers 
are  reported  aloud  to  me.     It  is  all  done  in  a  moment. 

"  How  many  of  you  think  you  need  better  accommoda- 
tions ?" 

If  a  majority  of  hands  are  raised,  I  say, 
"  I  wish  the  teacher  of  that  class  would  ascertain  whether 
any  other  place  of  recitation  is  vacant,  or  occupied  by  a 
smaller  class  at  that  time,  and  report  the  case  to  me." 

"  Proposed  that  we  be  allowed  to  walk  upon  the  common  in  the  re- 
cesses." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  some  plan  formed  by  which  you 
can  walk  on  the  common  in  recesses,  but  there  arc  difficul- 
ties. If  all  should  go  out  together,  it  is  probable  that  some 
would  be  rude  and  noisy,  and  that  others  would  come  back 
tardy  and  out  of  breath.  Besides,  as  the  recess  is  short,  so 
many  would  be  in  haste  to  prepare  to  go  out,  that  there  would 
be  a  great  crowd  and  much  confusion  in  the  ante-room  and 
passage-ways.  I  do  not  mention  these  as  insuperable  objcc- 


228  THE   TEACI1KK. 

tions,  but  only  as  difficulties  which  there  must  be  some  plan 
to  avoid.  Perhaps,  however,  they  can  not  be  avoided.  Do 
any  of  you  think  of  any  plan  ?" 

I  see,  perhaps,  two  or  three  hands  raised,  and  call  upon  the 
'individuals  by  name,  and  they  express  their  opinions.  One 
says  that  a  part  can  go  out  at  a  time.  Another  proposes  that 
those  who  are  tardy  one  day  should  not  go  out  again,  &c. 

"  I  think  it  possible  that  a  plan  can  be  formed  on  these  or 
some  such  principles.  If  you  will  appoint  a  committee  who 
will  prepare  a  plan,  and  mature  its  details,  and  take  charge 
of  the  execution  of  it,  you  may  try  the  experiment.  I  will 
allow  it  to  go  on  as  long  as  you  avoid  the  evils  I  have  above 
alluded  to." 

A  committee  is  then  raised,  to  report  in  writing  at  the 
business  hour  of  the  following  day. 

"  Proposed  that  the  Study  Card  be  down  every  half  hour." 

"  You  may  decide  this  question  yourselves.  That  you  may 
vote  more  freely,  I  wish  you  to  vote  by  ballot.  The  boxes 
will  be  open  during  the  next  recess.  The  vote-receivers  will 
write  the  question  and  place  it  upon  the  boxes.  All  who 
feel  interested  in  the  subject  may  carry  in  their  votes,  Aye 
or  Nay.  When  the  result  is  reported  to  me  I  will  read  it 
to  the  school." 

In  this  and  similar  ways  the  various  business  brought  up 
is  disposed  of.  This  custom  is  useful  to  the  scholars,  for  it 
exercises  and  strengthens  their  judgment  and  their  reflecting 
powers  more  than  almost  any  thing  besides ;  so  that,  if  inter- 
esting them  in  this  way  in  the  management  of  the  school 
were  of  no  benefit  to  me,  I  should  retain  the  practice  as  most 
valuable  to  them.  But  it  is  most  useful  to  me  and  to  the 
school.  I  think  that  nothing  has  contributed  more  to  its 
prosperity  than  the  active  interest  which  the  scholars  have 
uhvnys  taken  in  its  concerns,  and  the  assistance  they  have 
rendered  me  in  carmng  my  plans  into  effect. 


MOUNT   VERNON   SCHOOL.  229 

You  will  observe  that  in  transacting  this  business  very 
little  is  actually  done  by  myself,  except  making  the  ultimate 
decision.  All  the  details  of  business  arc  assigned  to  teach- 
ers, or  to  officers  and  committees  appointed  for  the  purpose. 
By  this  means  we  dispatch  business  very  rapidly.  The  sys- 
tem of  offices  will  be  explained  in  another  place ;  but  I  may 
say  here  that  all  appointments  and  elections  arc  made  in  this 
quarter  hour,  and  by  means  of  the  assistance  of  these  officers 
the  transaction  of  business  is  so  facilitated  that  much  more 
can  sometimes  be  accomplished  than  you  would  suppose  pos- 
sible. I  consider  this  period  as  one  of  the  most  important 
in  the  whole  morning. 

Second  Iteccss. 

After  the  expiration  of  the  quarter  hour  above  described, 
the  Study  Card  is  dropped,  and  a  recess  succeeds. 

Fourth  Hour. — Sections. 

In  all  the  former  part  of  the  day  the  scholars  are  divided 
into  classes,  according  to  their  proficiency  in  particular  branch- 
es of  study,  and  they  resort  to  their  recitations  for  insto-itetion. 
They  now  are  divided  into  six  sections,  as  we  call  them,  and 
placed  under  the  care  of  superintendents,  not  for  instruction, 

•but  for  what  may  be  called  supervision.  Teach'ttg  a  pupil  is 
not  all  that  is  necessary  to  be  done  for  her  in  school.  There 
are  many  other  things  to  be  attended  to,  such  as  supplying 
her  with  the  various  articles  necessary  for  her  use,  seeing  that 
her  desk  is  convenient,  that  her  time  is  well  arranged,  that 
she  has  not  too  much  to  do  nor  too  little,  and  that  no  diffi- 
culty which  can  be  removed  obstructs  her  progress  in  study 
or  her  happiness  in  school.  The  last  hour  is  appropriated  to 
this  purpose,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  such  a 
portion  of  it  as  is  not  wanted  by  the  superintendent  is  to  be 
spent  in  study.  You  will  sec,  then,  when  the  last  horn-  ar- 

.  rives,  that  all  the  scholars  go  in  various  directions  ti>  tho 


230  THE   TEACHER. 

meetings  of  their  respective  sections.  Here  they  remain  as 
long  as  the  superintendent  retains  them.  Sometimes  they 
adjourn  almost  immediately,  perhaps  after  having  simply  at- 
tended to  the  distribution  of  pens  for  the  next  day ;  at  other 
times  they  remain  during  the  hour,  attending  to  such  exer- 
cises as  the  superintendent  may  plan.  The  design,  however, 
and  nature  of  this  whole  arrangement  I  shall  explain  more 
fully  in  another  place. 

Close  of  the  School 

As  the  end  of  the  hour  approaches,  five  minutes'  notice  is 
given  by  the  bell,  and  when  the  time  arrives  the  Study  Card 
is  half  dropped  for  a  moment  before  the  closing  exercises. 
When  it  rises  again  the  room  is  restored  to  silence  and  order. 
"We  then  sing  a  verse  or  two  of  a  hymn,  and  commend  our- 
selves to  God's  protection  in  a  short  prayer.  As  the  schol- 
ars raise  their  heads  from  the  posture  of  reverence  which 
they  have  assumed,  they  pause  a  moment  till  the  regulator 
lets  down  the  Study  Cai'd,  and  the  sound  of  its  bell  is  the 
signal  that  our  duties  at  school  are  ended  for  the  day. 

III.    INSTRUCTION   AND    SUPERVISION    OF    PUPILS. 

For  the  instruction  of  the  pupils  the  school  is  divided  into 
classes,  and  for  their  general  supervision  into  sections,  as  has" 
been  intimated  under  the  preceding  caption.  The  head  of  a 
class  is  called  a  teaclier,  and  the  head  of  a  section  a  superin- 
tendent. The  same  individual  may  be  both  the  teacher  of  a 
class  and  the  superintendent  of  a  section.  The  two  offices 
are,  however,  entirely  distinct  in  their  nature  and  design. 
As  you  will  perceive  by  recalling  to  mind  the  daily  order  of 
'  exercises,  the  classes  meet  and  recite  during  the  first  three 
hours  of  the  school,  and  the  sections  assemble  on  the  fourth 
and  last.  We  shall  give  each  a  separate  description. 


MOUNT   VEK2ION    SCHOOL.  231 

1.    CLASSES. 

• 

The  object  of  the  division  into  classes  is  instruction.  When- 
ever it  is  desirable  that  several  individuals  should  pursue  a 
particular  study,  a  list  of  their  names  is  made  out,  a  book  se- 
lected, a  time  for  recitation  assigned,  a  teacher  appointed,  and 
the  exercises  begin.  In  this  way  a  large  number  of  classes 
have  been  formed,  and  the  wishes  of  parents,  or  the  opinion 
of  the  principal,  and,  in  many  cases,  that  of  the  pupil,  de- 
termines how  many  and  what  shall  be  assigned  to  each  indi- 
vidual. A  list  of  these  classes,  with  the  average  age  of  the 
members,  the  name  of  the  teacher,  and  the  time  of  recitation, 
is  posted  in  a  conspicuous  place,  and  public  notice  is  given 
whenever  a  new  class  is  formed.  -  You  will  therefore  have 
the  opportunity  to  know  all  the  aiTangements  of  school  in 
this  respect,  and  I  wish  you  to  exercise  your  own  judgment 
and  discretion  a  great  deal  in  regard  to  your  studies.  I  do 
not  mean  I  expect  you  to  decide,  but  to  reflect  upon  them. 
Look  at  the  list,  and  consider  what  ai-e  most  useful  for  you. 
Propose  to  me  or  to  your  parents  changes,  whenever  you 
think  they  are  necessary ;  and  when  you  finish  one  study,  re- 
flect carefully,  yourself,  on  the  question  what  you  shall  next 
commence. 

The  scholars  prepare  their  lessons  wjjcn  they  please.  They 
are  expected  to  be  present  and  prepared  at  the  time  of  reci- 
tation, but  they  make  the  preparation  when  it  is  most  conven- 
ient. The  tnorc  methodical  and  systematic  of  the  young  la- 
dies mark  the  times  of  stud//  as  well  as  of  recitation  upon  their 
schedules,  so  that  the  employment  of  their  whole  time  at 
school  is  regulated  by  a  systematic  plan.  You  will  observe, 
too,  that  by  this  plan  of  having  a  great  many  classes  reciting 
through  the  first  three  hours  of  the  morning,  every  pupil  can 
be  employed  as  much  or  as  little  as  her  parents  desire.  In  a 
case  of  ill  health,  she  may,  as  has  often  been  done  in  such 
cases  at  the  request  of  parents,  join  one  or  two  classes  only, 


232  THE   TEACHER. 

and  occupy  the  whole  forenoon  in  preparing  for  them,  and  be 
entirely  free  from  school  duties  at  home.  Or  she  may,  as  is 
much  more  frequently  the  case,  choose  to  join  a  great  many 
classes,  so  as  to  fill  up,  perhaps,  her  whole  schedule  with  rec- 
itations, in  which  case  she  must  prepare  all  her  lessons  at 
home.  It  is  the  duty  of  teachers  to  take  care,  however,  when 
a  pupil  pleads  want  of  time  as  a  reason  for  being  unprepared 
in  any  lesson,  that  the  case  is  fully  examined,  in  order  that 
it  may  be  ascertained  whether  the  individual  has  joined  too 
many  classes,  in  which  case  some  one  should  be  dropped,  and 
thus  the  time  and  the  employments  of  each  individual  should 
be  so  adjusted  as  to  give  her  constant  occupation  in  school, 
and  as  much  more  as  her  parents  may  desire.  By  this  plan 
of  the  classes,  each  scholar  advances  just  as  rapidly  in  her 
studies  as  her  time,  and  talents,  and  health  will  allow.  No 
one  is  kept  back  by  the  rest.  Each  class  goes  on  regularly 
and  systematically,  all  its  members  keeping  exactly  together 
in  that  study ;  but  the  various  members  of  it  will  have  joined 
a  greater  or  less  number  of  other  classes,  according  to  their 
age,  or  abilities,  or  progress  in  study,  so  that  all  will  or  may 
have  full  employment  for  their  time. 

When  you  first  enter  the  school,  you  will,  for  a  day  or  two, 
be  assigned  to  but  few  classes,  for  your  mind  will  be  distract- 
ed by  the  excitement  £>f  new  scenes  and  pursuits,  and  the  in- 
tellectual effort  necessary  for  joining  a  class  is  greater  than 
that  requisite  for  going  on  with  it  after  being  once  under 
way.  After  a  few  days  you  will  come  to  me  npd  say,  per- 
haps (for  this  is  ordinarily  the  process), 

"  Mr.  Abbott,  I  think  I  have  time  for  some  more  studies." 

"I  will  thank  you  to  bring  me  your  schedule,"  I  say  in 
reply,  "so  that  I  can  see  what  you  have  now  to  do." 

l>y  glancing  my  eye  over  the  schedule  in  such  a  case,  I  see 
in  a  moment  what  duties  have  been  already  assigned  you,  and 
from  my  general  schedule,  containing  all  the  studies  of  the 
school,  I  select  what  would  be  most  suitable  for  you  after 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  233 

conferring  with  you  about  your  past  pursuits,  and  your  own 
wishes  or  those  of  your  parents  in  regard  to  your  future 
course.  Additions  are  thus  made  until  your  time  is  fully  oc- 
cupied. 

The  manner  of  recitation  in  the  classes  is  almost  boundless- 
ly varied.  The  design  is  not  to  have  you  commit  to  memory 
what  the  book  contains,  but  to  understand  and  digest  it — to 
incorporate  it  fully  into  your  own  mind,  that  it  may  come 
up  in  future  life  in  such  a  form  as  you  wish  it  for  use.  Do 
not  then,  in  ordinary  cases,  endeavor  to  fix  words,  but  ideas  in 
your  minds.  Conceive  clearly — paint  distinctly  to  your  im- 
agination what  is  described — contemplate  facts  in  all  their 
bearings  and  relations,  and  thus  endeavor  to  exercise  the 
judgment,  and  the  thinking  and  reasoning  powers,  rather 
than  the  mere  memory,  upon  the  subjects  which  will  come 
before  you. 

2.    SECTIONS. 

In  describing  the  order  of  daily  exercises,  I  alluded  to  the 
sections  which  assemble  in  the  last  hour  of  the  school.  It  is 
ncccssaiy  that  I  should  fully  describe  the  system  of  sections, 
as  it  constitutes  a  very  important  part  of  the  plan  of  the 
school. 

Besides  giving  the  scholars  the  necessary  intellectual  in- 
struction, there  arc,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  a  great  many 
other  points  which  must  receive  attention  in  order  to  pro- 
mote their  progress,  and  to  secure  the  regular  operation  and 
general  welfare  of  the  school.  These  various  points  have 
something  common  in  their  nature,  but  it  is  difficult  to  give 
them  a  common  name.  They  are  such  as  supplying  the  pu- 
pils with  pens  and  paper,  and  stationery  of  other  kinds  ;  be- 
coming acquainted  with  each  individual ;  ascertaining  that 
she  has  enough  and  not  too  much  to  do  ;  arranging  her  work 
so  that  nti  one  of  her  duties  shall  interfere  with  another;  as- 


234  THE   TEACHER. 

sisting  her  to  discover  and  correct  her  faults,  and  removing 
any  sources  of  difficulty  or  causes  of  discontent  -which  may 
gradually  come  in  her  way.  These,  and  a  multitude  of  sim- 
ilar points,  constituting  what  may  be  called  the  general  ad- 
ministration of  the  school,  become,  when  the  number  of  pupils 
is  large,  a  most  important  branch  of  the  teacher's  duty. 

To  accomplish  these  objects  more  effectually,  the  school  is 
divided  into  six  SECTIONS,  arranged,  not  according  to  profi- 
ciency in  particular  studies,  as  the  several  classes  are,  but  ac- 
cording to  age  and  general  maturity  of  mind.  Each  one  of 
these  sections  is  assigned  to  the  care  of  a  superintendent. 
These  superintendents,  it  is  true,  during  most  of  school  hours, 
are  also  teachers.  Their  duties,  however,  as  Teachers  and  as 
Superintendents,  are  entirely  distinct.  I  shall  briefly  enumer- 
ate the  duties  which  devolve  upon  her  in  the  latter  capacity. 

1.  A  superintendent  ought  to  prepare  an  exact  list  of  the 
members  of  her  section,  and  to  become  intimately  acquainted 
with  them,  so  as  to  be  as  far  as  possible  their  friend  and  con- 
fidante, and  to  feel  a  stronger  interest  in  their  progress  in 
study  and  their  happiness  in  school,  and  a  greater  personal 
attachment  to  them  than  to  any  other  scholars. 

2.  She  is  to  superintend  the  preparation  of  their  schedules; 
to  see  that  each  one  has  enough  and  not  too  much  to  do,  by 
making  known  to  me  the  necessity  of  a  change,  where  such 
necessity  exists ;   to  see  that  the  schedules  arc  submitted  to 
the  parents,  and  that  their   opinion  or  suggestions,  if  they 
wish  to  make  any,  arc  reported  to  me. 

3.  She  is  to  take  care  that  all  the  daily  wants  of  her  sec- 
tion are  supplied — that  all  have  pens  and  paper,  and  desks  of 
suitable  height.     If  any  are  new  scholars,  she  ought  to  inter- 
est herself  in  assisting  them  to  become  acquainted  in  school ; 
if  they  are  friendless  and  alone,  to  find  companions  for  them, 
and  to  endeavor  in  every  way  to  make  their  time  pass  pleas- 
antly and  happily. 

4.  To  watch  the  characters  of  the  members  of  her  section. 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  235 

To  inquire  of  their  several  teachers  as  to  the  progress  they 
make  in  study,  and  the  faithfulness  and  punctuality  with 
which  they  prepare  their  lessons.  She  ought  to  ascertain 
whether  they  are  punctual  at  school  and  regular  in  their  hab- 
its— whether  their  desks  are  neat  and  well  arranged,  and  their 
exercises  carefully  executed.  She  ought  to  correct,  through 
her  own  influence,  any  evils  of  this  kind  she  may  find,  or  else 
immediately  to  refer  the  cases  where  this  can  not  be  done 
to  me. 

The  better  and  the  more  pleasantly  to  accomplish  the  ob- 
ject of  exerting  a  favorable  influence  upon  the  characters  of 
vhc  members  of  their  section,  the  superintendents  ought  often 
to  bring  up  subjects  connected  with  moral  and  religious  duty 
in  section  meetings.  This  may  be  done  in  the  form  of  sub- 
jects assigned  for  composition,  or  proposed  for  free  discussion 
in  writing  or  conversation,  or  the  superintendents  may  write 
Themselves,  and  read  to  the  section  the  instructions  they  wish 
to  give. 

When  subjects  for  written  composition  are  thus  assigned, 
Viey  should  be  so  presented  to  the  pupils  as  to  lead  their 
tninds  to  a  very  practical  mode  of  regarding  them.  For  ex- 
ample, instead  of  simply  assigning  the  subject  Truth  as  the 
theme  of  an  abstract  moral  essay,  bring  up  definite  points  of 
ti  practical  character,  such  especially  as  are  connected  with 
the  trials  and  temptations  of  early  life.  "  I  wish  you  would 
tfll  give  me  your  opinions,"  the  teacher  might  say  in  such  a 
case,  "on  the  question,  What  is  the  most  frequent  induce- 
ment that  leads  children  to  tell  falsehoods  ?  Also,  do  you 
think  it  is  right  to  tell  untruths  to  very  little  children,  as 
many  persons  do,  or  to  people  who  are  sick  ?  Also,  whether 
it  would  be  right  to  tell  a  falsehood  tp  an  insane  man  in 
order  to  manage  him  ?" 

Sometimes,  instead  of  assigning  a  subject  of  composition 
verbally,  the  superintendent  exhibits  an  engraving,  and  the 
several  members  of  the  class  then  write  any  thing  they  please 


23G 


THE   TEACHER. 


which  is  suggested  to  them  by  the  engraving.  For  example, 
suppose  the  picture  thus  exhibited  were  to  rcpi'escnt  a  girl 
sewing  in  an  attic.  The  compositions  to  which  it  would  give 


rise  might  be  very  various.  One  pupil  would  perhaps  simply 
give  an  account  of  the  picture  itself,  describing  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  room,  and  specifying  the  particular  articles  of 
furniture  contained  in  it.  Another  would  give  a  soliloquy 
supposed  to  be  spoken  by  the  sewing-girl  as  she  sits  at  her 
work.  Another  would  narrate  the  history  of  her  life,  of 
course  an  imaginary  one.  Another  would  write  an  essay  on 
the  advantages  of  industry  and  independence. 

This  is  a  very  good  way  of  assigning  subjects  of  composi- 
tion, and,  if  well  managed,  it  may  be  the  means  of  awakening 
a  great  interest  in  writing  among  almost  all  the  pupils  of  a 
school. 


'MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.         237 

5.  Though  the  superintendents,  as  such,  have,  necessarily 
speaking,  no  teaching  to  do,  still  they  ought  particularly  to 
secure  the  progress  of  every  pupil  in  what  may  be  called  the 
essential  studies,  such  as  reading,  writing,  and  spelling.  For 
this  purpose,  they  either  see  that  their  pupils  are  going  on 
successfully  in  classes  in  school  in  these  branches,  or  they 
may  attend  to  them  in  the  section,  provided  that  they  never 
allow  such  instruction  to  interfere  with  their  more  appropri- 
ate and  important  duties. 

In  a  word,  the  superintendents  are  to  consider  the  members 
of  their  sections  as  pupils  confided  to  their  care,  and  they  are 
not  merely  to  discharge  mechanically  any  mere  routine  of 
duty,  such  as  can  be  here  pointed  out,  but  to  exert  all  their 
powers,  their  ingenuity,  their  knowledge  of  human  character, 
their  judgment  and  discretion,  in  every  way,  to  secure  for  each 
of  those  committed  to  their  care  the  highest  benefits  which 
the  institution  to  which  they  belong  can  afford.  They  arc 
to  keep  a  careful  and  faithful  record  of  their  plans  and  of  the 
history  of  their  respective  sections,  and  to  endeavor  as  faith- 
fully and  as  diligently  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  mem- 
bers of  them  as  if  the  sections  were  separate  and  independent 
schools  of  their  own. 

A  great  responsibility  is  ^hus  evidently  intrusted  to  them, 
but  not  a  great  deal  of  power.  They  ought  not  to  make 
changes,  except  in  very  plain  cases,  witho.ut  referring  the  sub- 
ject to  me.  They  ought  not  to  make  rash  experiments,  or 
even  to  try  many  new  plans,  without  first  obtaining  my  ap- 
proval of  them.  They  ought  to  refer  all  cases  which  they 
can  not  easily  manage  to  my  care.  They  ought  to  under- 
stand the  distinction  between  seeing  that  a  thing  is  done  and 
doing  it.  For  example,  if  a  superintendent  thinks  that  one 
of  her  section  is  in  too  high  a  class  in  Arithmetic,  her  duty 
is  not  to  undertake,  by  her  own  authority,  to  remove  her  to  a 
lower  one,  for,  as  superintendent,  she  has  no  authority  over 
Arithmetic  classes,  nor  should  she  go  to  the  opposite  extreme 


238  THE   TEACHER. 

of  saying,  "  I  have  no  authority  over  Arithmetic  classes,  and 
therefore  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  case."  She  ought 
to  go  to  the  teacher  of  the  class  to  which  her  pupil  had  been 
unwisely  assigned,  converse  with  her,  obtain  her  opinion,  then 
find  some  other  class  more  suited  to  her  attainments,  and 
after  fully  ascertaining  all  the  facts  in  the  case,  bring  them 
to  me,  that  I  may  make  the  change.  This  is  superintendence 
— looking  over  the  condition  and  progress  of  the  scholar.  The 
superintendents  have  thus  great  responsibility,  and  yet,  com- 
paratively, little  power.  They  accomplish  a  great  deal  of 
good,  and,  in  its  ordinary  course,  it  is  by  their  direct  personal 
efforts;  but  in  making  changes,  and  remedying  defects  and 
evils,  they  act  generally  in  a  different  way. 

The  last  hour  of  school  is  devoted  to  the  sections.  No 
classes  recite  then,  but  the  sections  meet,  if  the  superintend- 
ents wish,  and  attend  to  such  exercises  as  they  provide. 
Each  section  has  its  own  organization,  its  own  officers  and 
plans.  These  arrangements  of  course  vary  in  their  character 
according  to  the  ingenuity  and  enterprise  of  the  superintend- 
ents, and  more  especially  according  to  the  talents  and  intel- 
lectual ardor  of  the  members  of  the  section. 

The  two  upper  sections  are  called  senior,  the  next  two 
middle,  and  the  two  younger  .junior.  The  senior  sections 
are  distinguished  by  using  paper  for  section  purposes  with  a 
light  blue  tinge.  To  the  middle  sections  is  assigned  a  light 
straw  color;  and  to  the  junior,  pink.  These  colors  are  used 
for  the  schedules  of  the  members,  and  for  the  records  and 
other  documents  of  the  section. 

This  account,  though  it  is  brief,  will  be  sufficient  to  ex- 
plain to  you  the  general  principles  of  the  plan.  You  will 
soon  become  acquainted  with  the  exercises  and  arrangements 
of  the  particular  section  to  which  you  will  be  assigned,  and 
by  taking  an  active  interest  in  them,  and  endeavoring  to  co- 
operate with  the  superintendent  in  all  her  measures^  and  to 
comply  with  her  wishes,  you  will  very  materially  add  to  her 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  239 

happiness,  and  do  your  part  toward  elevating  the  character 
of  the  circle  to  which  you  will  belong. 

iv.  OFFICERS. 

In  consequence  of  the  disposition  early  manifested  by  the 
scholars  to  render  me  every  assistance  in  their  power  in  car- 
rying into  effect  the  plans  of  the  school  and  promoting  its 
prosperity,  I  gradually  adopted  the  plan  of  assigning  to  va- 
rious officers  and  committees  a  number  of  specific  duties  re- 
lating to  the  general  business  of  the  school.  These  officers 
have  gradually  multiplied  as  the  school  has  increased  and  as 
business  has  accumulated.  The  system  has,  from  time  to 
time,  been  revised,  condensed,  and  simplified,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  it  is  thus  arranged.  The  particular  duties  of  each  offi- 
cer are  minutely  described  to  the  individuals  themselves  at  the 
time  of  their  election  ;  all  I  intend  here  is  to  give  a  general 
view  of  the  plan,  such  as  is  necessary  for  the  scholars  at  large. 

There  arc,  then,  JIM  departments  of  business  intrusted  to  of- 
ficers of  the  school.  The  names  of  the  officers,  and  a  brief 
exposition  of  their  duties,  are  as  follows : 

[I  omit  the  particular  explanation  of  the  duties  of  the  officers,  as  the 
arrangement  must  vary  in  different  schools,  and  the  details  of  any  one 
plan  can  only  be  useful  in  the  school-room  to  which  it  belongs.  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  name  the  officers  of  each  department,  with  their  duties, 
in  general  ternjs.] 

1.  REGULATORS. — To  assist  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  busi- 
ness in  school :  ringing  the  bells  ;  managing  the  Study  Card  ; 
distributing  and  collecting  papers ;  counting  votes,  &c. 

2.  SECRETARIES. — Keeping  the  records,  and  executing  writ- 
ing of  various  kinds. 

3.  ACCOUNTANTS. — Keeping  a  register  of  the  scholars,  and 
various  other  duties  connected  with  the  accounts. 

4.  LIBRARIANS. — To  take  charge  of  books  and  stationery. 

5.  CURATORS. — To  secure  neatness  and  good  order  in  the 
apartments. 


240  THE   TEACHER. 

The  secretaries  and  accountants  arc  appointed  by  the  prin- 
cipal, and  will  generally  be  chosen  from  the  teachers.  The 
first  in  each  of  the  other  departments  .are  chosen  by  ballot, 
by  the  scholars.  Each  one  thus  chosen  nominates  the  second 
in  her  department,  and  they  two  the  assistants.  These  nom- 
inations must  be  approved  at  a  teachers'  meeting ;  for,  if  a 
scholar  is  inattentive  to  her  studies,  disorderly  in  her  desk,  or 
careless  and  troublesome  in  her  manners,  she  evidently  ought 
not  to  be  appointed  to  public  office.  No  person  can  hold  an 
office  in  two  of  these  departments.  She  can,  if  she  pleases, 
however,  resign  one  to  accept  another.  Each  of  these  de- 
partments ought  often  to  assemble  and  consult  together,  and 
form  plans  for  carrying  into  effect  with  greater  efficiency  the 
objects  intrusted  to  them.  They  are  to  keep  a  record  of  all 
their  proceedings,  the  head  of  the  department  acting  as  sec- 
retary for  this  purpose. 

The  following  may  be  given  as  an  example  of  the  manner 
in  which  business  is  transacted  by  means  of  these  officers. 
On  the  day  that  the  above  description  of  their  duties  was 
written,  I  wished  for  a  sort  of  directory  to  assist  the  collector 
employed  to  receive  payments  for  the  bills,  and,  to  obtain  it, 
I  took  the  following  steps : 

At  the  business  quarter  hour  I  issued  the  following  or- 
der : 

"  Before  the  close  of  school,  I  wish  the  distributors  to  leave 
upon  each  of  the  desks  a  piece  of  paper"  (the  size  I  described). 
"It  is  for  a  purpose  which  I  shall  then  explain." 

Accordingly,  at  some  leisure  moment  before  the  close  of 
school,  each  one  of  the  regulators  went  with  her  box  to  the 
stationery  shelves,  which  you  will  see  in  the  corners  of  the 
room,  where  a  supply  of  paper  of  all  the  various  sizes  used 
in  school  is  kept,  and,  taking  out  a  sufficient  number,  they 
supplied  all  the  desks  in  their  respective  divisions? 

When  the  time  for  closing  school  arrived.  I  requested  each 
young  lady  to  write  the  name  of  her  parent  or  guardian  upon 


MOUNT  VEKKON  SCHOOL.  241 

the  paper,  and  opposite  to  it  his  place  of  business.     This 
was  done  in  a  minute  or  two. 

"  All  those  whose  parent's  or  guardian's  name  begins  with 
a  letter  above  m  may  rise." 

They  rose. 

"  The  distributors  may  collect  the  papers." 

The  officers  then  passed  round  in  regular  order,  each 
through  her  own  division,  and  collected  the  papers. 

"Deliver  them  at  the  accountants'  desk." 

They  were  accordingly  carried  there,  and  received  by  the 
accountants. 

In  the  same  manner,  the  others  were  collected  and  received 
by  the  accountants,  but  kept  separate. 

"  I  wish  now  the  second  accountant  would  copy  these  in  a 
little  book  I  have  prepared  for  the  purpose,  arranging  them 
alphabetically,  referring  all  doubtful  cases  again  to  me." 

The  second  accountant  then  arranged  the  papers,  and  pre- 
pared them  to  go  into  the  book,  and  the  writer  who  belongs 
to  the  department  copied  thcrn  fairly. 

I  describe  this  case,  because  it  was  one  which  occurred  at 
the  time  I  was  writing  the  above  description,  and  not  because 
there  is  any  thing  otherwise  peculiar  in  it.  Such  cases  are 
continually  taking  place,  and  by  the  division  of  labor  above 
illustrated,  I  am  very  much  assisted  in  a  great  many  of  the 
duties  which  would  otherwise  consume  a  great  portion  of  my 
time. 

Any  of  the  scholars  may  at  any  time  make  suggestions  in 
writing  to  any  of  these  officers  or  to  the  whole  school ;  and 
if  an  officer  should  be  partial,  or  unfaithful,  or  negligent  in 
her  duty,  any  scholar  may  propose  her  impeachment.  After 
hearing  what  she  chooses  to  write  in  her  defense,  a  vote  is 
taken  on  sustaining  the  impeachment.  If  it  is  sustained,  she 
is  deprived  of  the  office,  and  another  appointed  to  fill  her 
place. 

L 


212  THE   TEACIIEK. 

V.    THE   COURT. 

I  have  already  described  how  all  serious  cases  of  doing 
wrong  or  neglect  of  duty  are  managed  in  the  school.  I  man- 
age them  myself,  by  coming  as  directly  and  as  openly  as  I  can 
to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  offender.  There  arc,  how- 
ever, a  number  of  little  transgressions,  too  small  to  be  indi- 
vidually worthy  of  serious  attention,  but  which  arc  yet  troub- 
lesome to  the  community  when  frequently  repeated.  These 
relate  chiefly  to  order  in  the  school-rooms.  These  misdemean- 
ors are  tried,  half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest,  by  a  sort  of 
court,  whose  forms  of  process  might  make  a  legal  gentleman 
smile.  They,  however,  fully  answer  our  purpose.  I  can  best 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  court  by  describing  an  actual  trial. 
I  ought,  however,  first  to  say  that  any  young  lady  who  chooses 
to  be  free  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  can  signify  that 
wish  to  me,  and  she  is  safe  from  it.  This,  however,  is  never 
done.  *  They  all  sec  the  useful  influence  of  it,  and  wish  to 
sustain  it. 

Near  the  close  of  school,  I  find,  perhaps,  on  my  desk  a  pa- 
per, of  which  the  following  may  be  considered  a  copy.  It  is 
called  the  indictment. 

We  accuse  Miss  A.  13.  of  having  waste  papers  in  the  aisle 
opposite  her  desk,  at  11  o'clock,  on  Friday,  Oct.  12. 

C.  D. 


,  Witnesses. 

I  give  notice  after  school  that  a  case  is  to  be  tried.  Those 
interested,  twenty  or  thirty  perhaps,  gather  around  my  desk, 
while  the  sheriff  goes  to  summon  the  accused  and  the  wit- 
nesses. A  certain  space  is  marked  off  as  the  precincts  of  the 
court,  within  which  no  one  must  enter  in  the  slightest  degree, 
On  pain  of  imprisonment,  that  is,  confinement  to  her  scat  until 
court  adjourns. 

"  Miss  A.  B.,  you  are  accused  of  having  an  untidy  floor 
ubout  your  desk.  Have  you  any  objection  to  the  indictment?" 


MOUNT  VERKON   SCHOOL.  2-13 

Wliilcshc  is  looking  over  the  indictment  to  discover  a  mis- 
spelled word,  or  an  error  in  the  date,  or  some  other  latent 
Haw,  I  appoint  any  two  of  the  by-standers  jury.  The  jury 
come  forward  to  listen  to  the  cause. 

The  accused  returns  the  indictment,  saying  she  has  no  ob- 
jection, and  the  witnesses  are  called  upon  to  present  their 
testimony. 

Perhaps  the  prisoner  alleges  in  defense  that  the  papers 
were  out  in  the  aisle,  not  under  her  desk,  or  that  she  did  not 
put  them  there,  or  that  they  were  too  few  or  too  small  to 
deserve  attention. 

My  charge  to  the  jury  would  be  somewhat  as  follows : 

"  You  are  to  consider  and  decide  whether  she  was  guilty 
of  disorder,  taking  into  view  the  testimony  of  the  witnesses 
and  also  her  defense.  It  is  considered  here  that  each  young 
lady  is  responsible  not  only  for  the  appearance  of  the  carpet 
under  her  desk,  but  also  for  the  aisle  opposite  to  it,  so  that  her 
first  ground  of  defense  must  be  abandoned.  So,  also,  with 
the  second,  that  she  dul  not  put  them  there.  She  ought  not 
to  hare  them  there.  Each  scholar  must  keep  her  own  place 
in  a  proper  condition ;  so  that  if  disorder  is  found  there,  no 
matter  who  made  it,  she  is  responsible  if  she  only  had  time 
to  remove  it.  As  to  the  third,  you  must  judge  whether 
enough  has  been  proved  by  the  witnesses  to  make  out  real 
disorder."  The  jury  write  guilty  or  not  guilty  upon  the  paper, 
and  it  is  returned  to  me.  If  sentence  is  pronounced,  it  is 
usually  confinement  to  the  seat  during  a  recess,  or  part  of  a 
recess,  or  something  that  requires  a  slight  effort  or  sacrifice 
for  the  public  'good.  The  sentence  is  always  something  real, 
though  always  slight,  and  the  court  has  a  great  deal  of  influence 
in  a  double  way — making  amusement  and  preserving  order. 

The  cases  tried  are  very  various,  but  none  of  the  serious 
business  of  the  school  is  intrusted  to  it.  Its  sessions  are  al- 
ways held  out  of  school  hours,  and,  in  fact,  it  is  hardly  con- 
sidered by  the  scholars  as  a  constituent  part  of  the  arrange- 


2U  THE   TEACHER. 

merits  of  the  school ;  so  much  so,  that  I  hesitated  much 
about  inserting  an  account  of  it  in  this  description. 

VI.    RELIGIOUS   INSTRUCTION. 

In  giving  you  this  account,  brief  as  it  is,  I  ought  not  to 
omit  to  speak  of  one  feature  of  our  plan,  which  we  have  al- 
ways intended  should  be  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  dis- 
tinctive characteristics  of  the  school.  The  gentlemen  who 
originally  interested  themselves  in  its  establishment  had 
mainly  in  view  the  exertion,  by  the  principal,  of  a  decided 
moral  and  religious  influence  over  the  hearts  of  the  pupils. 
Knowing,  as  they  did,  how  much  more  dutiful  and  affection- 
ate at  home  you  would  be,  how  much  more  successful  in 
your  studies  at  school,  how  much  happier  in  your  intercourse 
with  each  other,  and  in-  your  prospects  for  the  future  both 
here  and  hereafter,  if  your  hearts  could  be  brought  under  the 
influence  of  Christian  principle,  they  were  strongly  desirous 
that  the  school  should  be  so  conducted  that  its  religious  in- 
fluence, though  gentle  and  alluring  m  its  character,  should 
be  frank,  and  open,  and  decided.  I  need  not  say  that  I  my- 
self entered  very  cordially  into  these  views.  It  has  been  my 
constant  effort,  and  one  of  the  greatest  sources  of  my  enjoy- 
ment, to  try  to  win  my  pupils  to  piety,  and  to  create  such  an 
atmosphere  in  school  that  conscience,  and  moral  principle, 
and  affection  for  the  unseen  Jehovah  should  reign  here.  You 
can  easily  see  how  much  pleasantcr  it  is  for  me  to  have  the 
school  controlled  by  such  influence,  than  if  it  were  necessary 
for  me  to  hire  you  to  diligence  in  duty  by  prizes  or  rewards, 
or  to  deter  you  from  neglect  or  from  transgression  by  re- 
proaches, and  threatcnings,  and  punishments. 

The  influence  which  the  school  has  thus  exerted  has  always 
been  cordially  welcomed  by  my  pupils,  and  approved,  so  far 
as  I  have  known,  by  their  parents,  though  four  or  five  de- 
nominations, and  fifteen  or  twenty  different  congregations, 
have  been  from  time  to  time  re 'presented  in  the  school.  There 


MOUNT  VERNON  SCHOOL.  245 

• 

are  few  parents  who  would  not  like  to  have  their  children 
Christians — sincerely  and  practically  so ;  for  every  thing  which 
a  parent  can  desire  in  a  child  is  promoted  just  in  proportion^ 
as  she  opens  her  heart  to  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of  piety. 
But  that  you  may  understand  what  course  is  taken,  I  shall 
describe,  first,  what  I  wish  to  effect  in  the  hearts  of  my  pupils, 
and  then  what  means  I  take  to  accomplish  the  object. 

1.  A  large  number  of  young  persons  of  your  age,  and  in 
circumstances  similar  to  those  in  which  you  are  placed,  per- 
form with  some  fidelity  their  various  outward  duties,  but  main- 
tain no  habitual  and  daily  communion  with  God.  It  is  very 
wrong  for  them  to  live  thus  without  God,  but  they  do  not 
see,  or,  rather,  do  not  feel  the  guilt  of  it.  They  only  think 
of  their  accountability  to  human  Icings  like  themselves ;  for 
example,  their  parents,  teachers,  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
friends.  Consequently,  they  think  most  of  their  external  con- 
duct, which  is  all  that  human  beings  can  see.  Their  hearts 
are  neglected,  and  become  very  impure,  full  of  evil  thoughts, 
and  desires,  and  passions,  which  are  not  repented  of,  and 
consequently  not  forgiven.  Now  what  I  wish  to  accomplish 
in  regard  to  all  my  pupils  is,  that  they  should  begin  to  fed 
their  accountability  to  God,  and  to  act  according  to  it ;  that 
they  should  explore  their  hearts,  and  ask  God's  forgiveness 
for  all  their  past  sins,  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for 
them  that  they  might  be  forgiven  ;  and  that  they  should  from 
this  time  try  to  live  near  to  God,  feel  his  presence,  and  enjoy 
that  solid  peace  and  happiness  which  flows  from  a  sense  of 
his  protection.  "When  such  a  change  takes  place,  it  relieves 
the  mind  from  that  constant  and  irritating  uneasiness  which 
the  great  mass«of  mankind  feel  as  a  constant  burden ;  the 
ceaseless  forebodings  of  a  troubled  conscience  rcpi'oaching 
them  for  their  past  accumulated  guilt,  and  warning  them  of 
a  judgment  to  come.  The  change  which  I  endeavor  to  pro- 
mote relieves  the  heart  both  of  the  present  suffering  and  of 
the  future  danger. 


2-10.  THE   TEACHER. 

After  endeavoring  to  induce  you  to  begin  to  act  from 
Christian  principle,  I  wish  to  explain  to  you  your  various 
Duties  to  yourselves,  your  parents,  and  to  G.od. 

2.  The  measures  to  which  I  resort  to  accomplish  these  ob- 
jects are  three : 

First,  Religious  Exercises  in  School. — We  open  and  close  the 
school  with  a  very  short  prayer  and  one  or  two  verses  of  a 
hymn.  Sometimes  I  occupy  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  at  one  of 
the  general  exercises,  or  at  the  close  of  the  school,  in  giving 
instruction  upon  practical  religious  duty.  The  subjects  are 
sometimes  suggested  by  a  passage  of  Scripture  read  for  the 
purpose,  but  more  commonly  in  another  way. 

You  will  observe  often,  at  the  close  of  the  school  or  at  an 
appointed  general  exercise,  that  a  scholar  will  bring  to  my 
desk  a  dark-colored  morocco  wrapper  containing  several  small 
strips  of  paper,  upon  which  questions  relating  to  moral  or 
religious  duty,  or  subjects  for  remarks  from  me,  or  anecdotes, 
or  short  statements  of  facts,  giving  rise  to  inquiries  of  various 
kinds,  are  written.  This  wrapper  is  deposited  in  a  place  ac- 
cessible to  all  the  scholars,  and  any  one  who  pleases  deposits 
in  it  any  question  or  suggestion  on  religious  subjects  which 
may  occur  to  her.  You  can  at  any  time  do  this  yourself, 
thus  presenting  any  doubt,  or  difficulty,  or  inquiiy  which 
may  at  any  time  occur  to  you. 

Secondly,  Religious  Exercise  on  Saturday  afternoon. — In  or- 
der to  bring  up  more  distinctly  and  systematically  the  subject 
of  religious  duty,  I  established,  a  long  time  ago,  a  religious 
meeting  on  Saturday  afternoon.  It  is  intended  for  those  who 
feel  interested  in  receiving  such  instruction,  a»d  who  can  con- 
veniently attend  at  that  time.  If  you  have  no  other  engage- 
ments, and  if  your  parents  approve  of  it,  I  should  be  happy 
to  have  you  attend.  There  will  be  very  little  to  interest  you 
except  the  subject  itself,  for  I  make  all  the  instructions  which 
I  give  there  as  plain,  direct,  and  practical  as  is  in  my  power. 


MOUNT  VERKON  SCUOOL.  247 

A  considerable  number  of  the  scholars  usually  attend,  and 
frequently  bring  with  them  many  of  their  female  friends. 
You  can  at  any  time  invite  any  one  whom,  you  please  to 
come  to  the  meeting.  It  commences  at  half  past  three,  and 
continues  about  half  an  hour. 

Thirdly,  Personal  Religious  Instruction. — In  consequence  of 
the  large  number  of  my  pupils,  and  the  constant  occupation 
of  my  time  in  school,  I  have  scarcely  any  opportunity  of  re- 
ligious conversation  with  them,  even  with  those  who  partic- 
ularly desire  it.  The  practice  has  therefore  arisen,  and  grad- 
ually extended  itself  almost  universally  in  school,  of  writing 
to  me  on  the  subject.  These  communications  are  usually 
brief  notes,  expressing  the  writer's  interest  in  the  duties  of 
piety,  or  bringing  forward  her  own  peculiar  practical  difficul- 
ties, or  making  specific  inquiries,  or  asking  particular  instruc- 
tion in  regard  to  some  branch  of  religious  duty.  I  answer  in 
a  similar  way,  very  briefly  and  concisely,  however,  for  the 
number  of  notes  of  this  kind  which  I  receive  is  very  large, 
and  the  time  which  I  can  devote  to  such  a  correspondence 
necessarily  limited.  I  should  like  to  receive  such  communi- 
cations from  all  my  pupils ;  for  advice  or  instruction  commu- 
nicated in  reply,  being  directly  personal,  is  far  more  likely  to 
produce  effect.  Besides,  my  remarks,  being  in  writing,  can 
be  read  a  second  time,  and  be  more  attentively  considered 
and  reconsidered -than  when  words  are  merely  spoken.  These 
communications  must  always  be  begun  by  the  pupil.  I  never 
(unless  there  may  be  occasional  exceptions  in  some  few  very 
peculiar  cases)  commence.  I  am  prevented  from  doing  this 
both  by  my  unwillingness  to  obtrude  such  a  subject  personal- 
ly upon  those  who  might  not  welcome  it,  and  by  want  of 
time.  I  have  scarcely  time  to  write  to  all  those  who  are 
willing  first  to  write  to  me.  Many  cases  have  occurred  where 
individuals  have  strongly  desired  some  private  communica- 
tion with  me,  but  have  hesitated  long,  and  shrunk  reluctant- 
ly from  the  first  step.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  so  with  you. 


248  THE    TEACHER. 

Should  you  ever  wish  to  receive  from  me  any  direct  religious 
instruction,  I  hope  you  will  write  immediately  and  freely.  I 
shall  very  probably  not  even  notice  that  it  is  the  first  time  I 
have  received  such  a  communication  from  you.  So  numer- 
ous and  so  frequent  are  these  communications,  that  I  seldom 
observe,  when  I  receive  one  ftom  any  individual  for  the  first 
time,  that  it  comes  from  one  who  has  not  written  me  before. 

Such  are  the  means  to  which  I  resort  in  endeavoring  to  lead 
my  pupils  to  God  and  to  duty,  and  you  will  observe  that  the 
whole  design  of  them  is  to  win  and  to  allure,  not  to  compel. 
The  regular  devotional  exercises'  of  school  are  all  which  you 
will  necessarily  witness.  These  arc  very  short,  occupying 
much  less  time  than  many  of  the  pupils  think  desirable. 
The  rest  is  all  private  and  voluntary.  I  never  make  any  ef- 
fort to  urge  any  one  to  attend  the  Saturday  meeting,  nor  do 
I,  except  in  a  few  rare  and  peculiar  cases,  ever  address  any 
one  personally,  unless  she  desires  to  be  so  addressed.  You 
will  be  left,  therefore,  in  this  school,  unmolested,  to  choose 
your  own  way.  If  you  should  choose  to  neglect  religious 
duty,  and  to  wander  away  from  God,  I  shall  still  do  all  in  my 
power  to  make  you  happy  in  school,  and  to  secure  for  you  in 
future  life  such  a  measure  of  enjoyment  as  can  fall  to  the 
share  of  one  over  whose  prospects  in  another  world  there 
hangs  so  gloomy  a  cloud.  I  shall  never  reproach  yon,  and 
perhaps  may  not  even  know  what  your  choice  is.  Should 
you,  on  the  other  hand,  prefer  the  peace  and  happiness  of  pi- 
ety, and  be  willing  to  begin  to  walk  in  its  paths,  you  will 
find  many,  both  among  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  Mount 
Vcrnon  School,  to  sympathize  with  you,  and  to  encourage  and 
help  you  on  your  way. 


SCHEMING. 


249 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SCHEMING. 


OME  of  the  best  teachers  in  our  country, 
or,  rather,  of  those  who  might  be  the  best, 
lose  a  great  deal  of  their  time,  and  en- 
danger, or  perhaps  entirely  destroy,  their 
hopes  of  success  by  a  scheming  spirit,  which  is  always  reach- 
ing forward  to  something  new.  One  has  in  his  mind  some 
new  school-book  by  which  Arithmetic,  Grammar,  or  Geog- 
raphy are  to  be  taught  with  unexampled  rapidity,  and  his 
own  purse  to  be  filled  in  a  much  more  easy  way  than  by 
waiting  for  the  rewards  of  patient  industry.  Another  has 
the  plan  of  a  school,  bringing  into  operation  new  principles 
of  management  or  instruction,  which  he  is  to  establish  on 
pome  favored  spot,  and  which  is  to  become,  in  a  few  years,  a 
second  Hofwyl.  Another  has  some  royal  road  to  learning, 
and,  though  he  is  trammeled  and  held  down  by  what  he  calls 
the  ignorance  and  stupidity  of  his  trustees  or  his  school  com- 
mittee, yet,  if  he  could  fairly  put  his  principles  and  methods 
to  the  test,  he  is  certain  of  advancing  the  science  of  education 
half  a  century  at  least  at  a  single  leap. 

L  2 


250  THE    TEACHER. 

Ingenuity  in  devising  new  ways,  and  enterprise  in  follow- 
ing them,  are  arnong  the  happiest  characteristics  of  a  new 
countiy  rapidly  filling  writh  a  thriving  population.  Without 
these  qualities  there  could  be  no  advance ;  society  must  be 
stationary ;  and  from  a  stationary  to  a  retrograde  condition, 
the  progress  is  inevitable.  The  disposition  to  make  improve- 
ments and  changes  may,  however,  be  too  great.  If  so,  it 
must  be  checked.  On  the  other  hand,  a  slavish  attachment 
to  old  established  practices  may  prevail.  Then  the  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  experiment  must  be  awakened  and  encouraged. 
Which  of  these  two  is  to  be  the  duty  of  a  writer  at  any  time 
will  of  course  depend  upon  the  situation  of  the  community 
at  the  time  when  he  writes,  and  of  the  class  of  readers  for 
which  he  takes  his  pen.  Now,  at  the  present  time,  it  is  un- 
doubtedly true,  that  while  among  the  great  mass  of  teachers 
there  may  be  too  little  originality  and  enterprise,  there  is  still 
among  many  a  spirit  of  innovation  and  change  to  which  a 
caution  ought  to  be  addressed.  But,  before  I  proceed,  let  me 
protect  myself  from  misconception  by  one  or  two  remarks. 

1.  There  are  a  few  individuals  in  various  parts  of  our 
country  who,  by  ingenuity  and  enterprise,  have  made  real  and 
important  improvements  in  many  departments  of  cur  science, 
and  arc  still  making  them.  The  science  is  to  be  carried  for- 
ward by  such  men.  Let  them  not,  therefore,  understand  that 
any  thing  which  I  shall  say  applies  at  all  to  those  real  im- 
provements which  arc  from  time  to  time  brought  before  the 
public.  As  examples  of  this,  there  might  easily  be  mentioned, 
were  it  necessary,  several  new  modes  of  study,  and  new  text- 
books, and  literary  institutions  on  new  plans,  which  have  been 
brought  forward  within  a  few  years,  and  have  proved,  on  uc- 
tual  trial,  to  be  of  real  and  permanent  value. 

These  arc,  or  rather  they  were,  when  first  conceived  by 
the  original  projectors,  new  schemes,  and  the  result  has  proved 
that  they  were  good  ones.  Every  teacher,  too,  must  hope 
that  such  improvements  will  continue  to  be  made.  Let 


SCHEMING.  251 

nothing,  therefore,  Avhich  shall  be  said  on  the  subject  of  schem- 
ing in  this  chapter  be  interpreted  as  intended  to  condemn 
real  improvements  of  this  kind,  or  to  check  those  which  may 
now  be  in  progress  by  men  of  age  or  experience,  or  of  sound 
judgment,  who  are  capable  of  distinguishing  between  a  real 
improvement  and  a  whimsical  innovation  which  can  never 
live  any  longer  than  it  is  sustained  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
original  inventor. 

2.  There  are  a  great  many  teachers  in  our  country  who 
make  their  business  a  mere  dull  and  formal  routine,  through 
which  they  plod  on,  month  after  month,  and  year  after  year, 
without  variety  or  change,  and  who  are  inclined  to  stigma- 
tize with  the  appellation  of  idle  scheming  all  plans,  of  what- 
ever kind,  to  give  variety  or  interest  to  the  exercises  of  the 
school.  Now  whatever  may  be  said  in  this  chapter  against 
unnecessary  innovation  and  change  does  not  apply  to  efforts 
to  secure  variety  in  the  details  of  daily  study,  while  the  great 
leading  objects  arc  steadily  pursued.  This  subject  has  al- 
ready been  discussed  in  the  chapter  on  Instruction,  where  it 
has  been  shown  that  every  wise  teacher,  while  he  pui'sues  the 
same  great  object,  .and  adopts  in  substance  the  same  leading 
measures  at  all  times,  will  exercise  all  the  ingenuity  he  pos- 
sesses, and  bring  all  his  inventive  powers  into  requisition  to 
give  variety  and  interest  to  the  minute  details. 

To  explain  now  what  is  meant  by  such  scheming  as  is  to 
be  condemned,  let  us  suppose  a  case  which  is  riot  very  un- 
common. A  young  man,  while  preparing  for  college,  takes 
a  school.  When  he  first  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office, 
he  is  dillident  and  timid,  and  walks  cautiously  in  the  steps 
which  precedent  has  marked  out  for  him.  Distrusting  him- 
self, he  seeks  guidance  in  the  example  which  others  have  set 
for  him,  and,  very  probably,  he  imitates  precisely,  though  it 
may  be  insensibly  and  involuntarily,  the  manners  and  the 
plans  of  his  own  last  teacher.  This  servitude  soon,  however, 


2o2  THE   TEACHER. 

if  he  is  a  man  of  natural  abilities,  passes  away ;  he  learns  to 
try  one  experiment  after  another,  until  he  insensibly  finds  that 
a  plan  may  succeed,  even  if  it  was  not  pursued  by  his  former 
teacher.  So  far  it  is  well.  lie  throws  greater  interest  into 
his  school,  and  into  all  its  exercises,  by  the  spirit  with  which 
he  conducts  them.  He  is  successful.  After  the  period  of  his 
services  has  expired,  he  returns  to  the  pursuit  of  his  studies, 
encouraged  by  his  success,  and  anticipating  farther  triumphs 
in  his  subsequent  attempts. 

He  goes  on  through  college,  we  will  suppose,  teaching  from 
time  to  time  in  the  vacations,  as  opportunity  occurs,  taking 
more  and  more  interest  in  the  employment,  and  meeting  with 
greater  and  greater  success.  This  success  is  owing  in  a  vciy 
great  degree  to  the  freedom  of  his  practice,  that  is,  to  his  es- 
cape from  the  thraldom  of  imitation.  So  long  as  he  leaves 
the  great  objects  of  the  school  untouched,  and  the  great  fea- 
tures of  its  organization  unchanged;  his  many  plans  for  ac- 
complishing these  objects  in  new  and  various  ways  awaken 
interest  and  spirit  both  in  himself  and  in  his  scholars,  and  all 
goes  on  well. 

Now  in  such  a  case  as  this,  a  young  teacher,  philosophiz- 
ing upon  his  success  and  the  causes  of  it,  will  almost  invari- 
ably make  this  mistake,  namely,  he  will  attribute  to  some- 
thing essentially  excellent  in  his  plans  the  success  which,  in 
fact,  results  from  the  novelty  of  them. 

When  he  proposes  something  new  to  a  class,  they  all  take 
an  interest  in  it  because  it  is  new.  He  takes,  too,  a  special 
interest  in  it  because  it  is  an  experiment  which  lie  is  trying, 
and  he  feels  a  sort  of  pride  and  pleasure  in  securing  its  suc- 
cess. The  new  method  which  he  adopts  may  not  be,  in  itself, 
in  the  least  degree  better  than  old  methods,  yet  it  may  suc- 
ceed vastly  better  in  his  hands  than  any  old  method  he  had 
tried  before.  And  why  ?  Why,  because  it  is  new.  It  awak- 
ens interest  in  his  class,  because  it  offers  them  variety ;  and 
it  awakens  interest  in  him,  because  it  is  a  plan  which  he  has 


SCHEMING.  253 

devised,  and  for  whose  success,  therefore,  he  feels  that  his 
credit  is  at  stake.  Either  of  these  circumstances  is  abundant- 
ly sufficient  to  account  for  its  success.  Either  of  these  would 
secure  success,  unless  the  plan  was  a  very  bad  one  indeed. 

This  may  easily  be  illustrated  by  supposing  a  particular 
case.  The  teacher  has,  we  will  imagine,  been  accustomed  to 
teach  spelling  in  the  usual  way,  by  assigning  a  lesson  in  the 
spelling-book,  which  the  scholars,  after  studying  it  in  their 
seats,  recite  by  having  the  words  put  to  them  individually  in 
the  class.  After  some  time,  he  finds  that  one  class  has  lost 
its  interest  in  this  study.  He  can  compel  them  to  study  the 
lesson,  it  is  true,  but  he  perceives,  perhaps,  that  it  is  a  weary 
task  to  them.  Of  course,  they  proceed  with  less  alacrity, 
and  consequently  with  less  rapidity  and  success.  He  thinks, 
very  justly,  that  it  is  highly  desirable  to  secure  cheerful,  not 
forced,  reluctant  ciforts  from  his  pupils,  and  he  thinks  of  try- 
ing some  new  plan.  Accordingly,  he  says  to  them, 

"  Boys,  I  am  going  to  try  a  new  plan  for  this  class." 

The  mere  annunciation  of  a  new  plan  awakens  universal 
attention.  The  boys  all  look  up,  wondering  what  it  is  to  be. 

"  Instead  of  having  you  study  your  lessons  in  your  scats, 
as  heretofore,  I  am  going  to  let  you  all  go  together  into  one 
corner  of  the  room,  and  choose  some  one  to  read  the  lesson 
to  you,  spelling  all  the  words  aloud.  You  will  all  listen,  and 
endeavor  to  remember  how  the  difficult  ones  are  spelled. 
Do  you  think  you  can  remember?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  say  the  boys.  Children  always  think  they  can 
do  every  thing  which  is  proposed  to  them  as  a  new  plan  or 
experiment,  though  they  are  very  often  inclined  to  think  they 
can  not  do  what  is  required  of  them  as  a  task. 

"  You  may  have,"  continues  the  teacher,  "  the  words  read 
to  you  once  or  twice,  just  as  you  please.  Only,  if  you  have 
them  read  but  once,  you  must  take  a  shorter  lesson.'* 

He  pauses  and  looks  round  upon  the  class.  Some  say 
"  Once,"  some  "  Twice." 


254  THE   TEACHER. 

<;  I  am  willing  that  you  should  decide  this  question.  How 
many  are  in  favor  of  having  shorter  lessons,  and  having  them 
read  but  once  ?  How  many  prefer  longer  lessons,  and  having 
them  read  twice  ?" 

After  comparing  the  numbers,  it  is  decided  according  to 
the  majority,  and  the  teacher  assigns  or  allows  them  to  assign 
a  lesson. 

"  Now,"  he  proceeds,  "  I  am  not  only  going  to  have  you 
study  in  a  different  way,  but  recite  in  a  different  way  too. 
You  may  take  your  slates  with  you,  and  after  you  have  had 
time  to  hear  the  lesson  read  slowly  and  carefully  twice,  I  shall 
come  and  dictate  to  you  the  words  aloud,  and  you  will  all 
write  them  from  my  dictation.  Then  I  shall  examine  your 
slates,  and  see  how  many  mistakes  are  made." 

Any  class  of  boys,  now,  would  be  exceedingly  interested  in 
such  a  proposal  as  this,  especially  if  the  master's  ordinary 
principles  of  government  and  instruction  had  been  such  as  to 
interest  the  pupils  in  the  welfare  of  the  school  and  in  their 
own  progress  in  study.  They  will  come  together  in  the  place 
assigned,  and  listen  to  the  one  who  is  appointed  to  read  the 
words  to  them,  with  every  faculty  aroused,  and  their  whole 
souls  engrossed  in  the  new  duties  assigned  them.  The  teach- 
er, too,  feels  a  special  interest  in  his  experiment.  Whatever 
else  he  may  be  employed  about,  his  eye  turns  instinctively  to 
this  group  with  an  intensity  of  interest  which  an  experienced 
teacher  who  has  long  been  in  the  field,  and  who  has  tried 
experiments  of  this  sort  a  hundred  times,  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive ;  for  let  it  be  remembered  that  I  am  describing  the 
acts  and  feelings  of  a  new  beginner,  of  one  who  is  commenc- 
ing his  work  with  a  feeble  and  trembling  step,  and  perhaps 
this  is  his  first  step  away  from  the  beaten  path  in  which  he 
has  been  accustomed  to  walk. 

This  new  plan  is  continued,  we  will  suppose,  for  a  week, 
during  which  time  the  interest  of  the  pupils  continues. 
They  get  longer  lessons  and  make  fewer  mistakes  than  they 


SCHEMING.  255 

did  by  the  old  method.  Now,  in  speculating  on  this  subject, 
the  teacher  reasons  very  justly  that  it  is  of  no  consequence 
\vhether  the  pupil  receives  his  knowledge  through  the  eye  or 
through  the  ear ;  whether  they  study  in  solitude  or  in  com- 
pany. The  point  is  to  secure  their  progress  in  learning  to 
spell  the  words  of  the  English  language,  and  as  this  point  is 
secured  far  more  rapidly  and  effectually  by  his  new  method, 
the  inference  is  to  his  mind  very  obvious,  that  he  lias  made  a 
great  improvement — one  of  real  and  permanent  value.  Per- 
haps he  will  consider  it  an  extraordinary  discovery. 

But  the  truth  is,  that  in  almost  all  such  cases  as  this,  the 
secret  of  the  success  is  not  that  the  teacher  lias  discovered  a, 
letter  method  than  the  ordinary  ones,  but  that  he  has  dis- 
covered a  new  one.  The  experiment  will  succeed  in  produc- 
ing more  successful  results  just  as  long  as  the  novelty  of  it  con- 
tinues to  excite  unusual  interest  and  attention  in  the  class, 
or  the  thought  that  it  is  a  plan  of  the  teacher's  own  inven- 
tion leads  him  to  take  a  peculiar  interest  in  it.  And  this 
may  be  a  month,  or  perhaps  a  quarter ;  and  precisely  the  same 
effects  would  have  been  produced  if  the  whole  had  been  re- 
versed, that  is,  if  the  plan  of  dictation  had  been  the  old  one, 
which  in  process  of  time  had,  in  this  supposed  school,  lost  its 
interest,  and  the  teacher,  by  his  ingenuity  and  enterprise,  had 
discovered  and  introduced  what  is  now  the  common  mode. 

"Very  well,"  perhaps  my  reader  will  reply,  "it  is  surely 
something  gained  to  awaken  and  continue  interest  in  a  dull 
study  for  a  quarter,  or  even  a  month.  The  experiment  is 
worth  something  as  a  pleasant  and  useful  change,  even  if  it 
is  not  permanently  superior  to  the  other." 

It  is  indeed  worth,  something.  It  is  worth  a  great  deal ; 
and  the  teacher  who  can  devise  and  execute  such  plans,  un- 
derstanding their  real  place  and  value,  and  adhering  stead  if i/ 
through  them  all  to  the  great  object  which  ought  to  engage  his  at- 
tention, is  in  the  almost  certain  road  to  success  as  an  instruct- 
or. What  I  wish  is  not  to  discourage  such  efforts ;  they 


25G  THE   TEAC1IEK. 

ought  to  be  encouraged  to  the  utmost ;  but  to  have  their  real 
nature  and  design,  and  the  real  secret  of  their  success  fully 
understood,  and  to  have  the  teacher,  above  all,  take  good  caro 
that  all  his  new  plans  are  made,  not  the  substitutes  for  the 
great  objects  which  he  ought  to  keep  steadily  in  view,  but 
only  the  means  by  which  he  may  carry  them  into  more  full 
and  complete  effect. 

In  the  case  we  are  supposing,  however,  we  will  imagine 
that  the  teacher  does  not  do  this.  lie  fancies  that  he  lias 
made  an  important  discovery,  and  begins  to  inquire  whether 
thepnninpfej  as  he  calls  it,  can  not  be  applied  to  some  other 
studies.  He  goes  to  philosophizing  upon  it,  and  can  find 
many  reasons  why  knowledge  received  through  the  ear  makes 
a  more  ready  and  lasting  impression  than  when  it  comes 
through  the  eye.  He  attempts  to  apply  the  method  to  Arith- 
metic and  Geography,  and  in  a  short  time  is  forming  plans 
for  the  complete  metamorphosis  of  his  school.  When  en- 
gaged in  hearing  a  recitation,  his  mind  is  distracted  with  hia 
schemes  and  plans,  and  instead  of  devoting  his  attention  fully 
to  -the  work  he  may  have  in  hand,  his  thoughts  are  wander- 
ing continually  to  new  schemes  and  fancied  improvements, 
which  agitate  and  perplex  him,  and  which  elude  his  efforts 
to  give  them  a  distinct  and  definite  form.  He  thinks  he 
must,  however,  carry  out  his  principle-  He  thinks  of  its  ap- 
plicability to  a  thousand  other  cases.  He  revolves  over  and 
over  again  in  his  mind  plans  for  changing  the  whole  arrange- 
ment of  his  school.  He  is  again  and  again  lost  in  perplex- 
ity, his  mind  is  engrossed  and  distracted,  and  his  present  du- 
ties are  performed  with  no  interest,  and  consequently  with 
little  spirit  or  success. 

Now  his  error  is  in  allowing  a  new  idea,  which  ought  only 
to  have  suggested  to  him  an  agreeable  change  for  a  time  in 
one  of  his  classes,  to  swell  itself  into  undue  and  exaggerated 
importance,  and  to  draw  off  his  mind  from  what  ought  to  be 
the  objects  of  his  steady  pursuit. 


SCHEMING.  20  i 

Perhaps  some  teacher  of  steady  intellectual  habits  and  a 
well-balanced  mind  may  think  that  this  picture  is  fanciful, 
and  that  there  is  little  danger  that  such  consequences  will 
ever  actually  result  from  such  a  cause.  But,  far  from  having 
exaggerated  the  results,  I  am  of  opinion  that  I  might  have 
gone  much  farther.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a  great  many  in- 
stances have  occurred  in  which  some  simple  idea  like  the  one 
I  have  alluded  to  has  led  the  unlucky  conceiver  of  it,  in  his 
eager  pursuit,  far  deeper  into  the  difficulty  than  I  have  here 
supposed.  He  gets  into  a  contention  with  the  school  com- 
mittee, that  formidable  foe  to  the  projects  of  all  scheming 
teachers ;  and  it  would  not  be  very  difficult  to  find  many  ac- 
tual cases  where  the  individual  has,  in  consequence  of  some 
such  idea,  quietly  planned  and  taken  measures  to  establish 
some  new  institution,  where  he  can  carry  on  unmolested  his 
plans,  and  let  the  world  see  the  full  results  of  his  wonderful 
discoveries. 

We  have  in  our  country  a  very  complete  system  of  literary 
institutions,  so  far  as  external  organization  will  go,  and  the 
prospect  of  success  is  far  more  favorable  in  efforts  to  carry 
these  institutions  into  more  complete  and  prosperous  opera- 
tion, than  in  plans  for  changing  them,  or  substituting  others 
in  their  stead.  Were  it  not  that  such  a  course  would  be  un- 
just to  individuals,  a  long  and  melancholy  catalogue  might 
easily  be  made  out  of  abortive  plans  which  have  sprung  up 
in  the  minds  of  young  men  in  the  manner  I  have  described, 
and  which,  after  perhaps  temporary  success,  have  resulted  in 
partial  or  total  failure.  These  failures  are  of  every  kind. 
Some  are  school-books  on  a  new  plan,  which  succeeds  in  the 
inventor's  hand  chiefly  on  account  of  the  spirit  which  carried 
it  into  effect,  but  which  in  ordinary  hands,  and  under  ordi- 
nary circumstances,  and  especially  after  long-continued  use, 
have  failed  of  exhibiting  any  superiority.  Others  are  insti- 
tutions, commenced  with  great  zeal  by  the  projectors,  and 
which  prosper  just  as  long  as  that  zeal  continues.  Zeal  will 


258  THE   TEACHElt. 

make  any  thing  succeed  for  a  time.  Others  are  new  plans 
of  instruction  or  government,  generally  founded  on  some  good 
principle  carried  to  an  extreme,  or  made  to  grow  into  exag- 
gerated and  disproportionate  importance.  Examples  almost 
innumerable  of  these  things  might  be  particularized,  if  it  were 
proper,  and  it  would  be  found,  upon  examination,  that  the 
amount  of  ingenuity  and  labor  wasted  upon  such  attempts 
would  have  been  sufficient,  if  properly  expended,  to  have  ele- 
vated very  considerably  the  standard  of  education,  and  to 
have  placed  existing  institutions  in  a  far  more  prosperous 
and  thriving  state  than  they  now  exhibit. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  ask,  Shall  we  make  no  efforts  at 
improvement?  Must  everything  in  education  go  on  in  a 
uniform  and  monotonous  manner,  and,  while  all  else  is  ad- 
vancing, shall  our  cause  alone  stand  still  ?  By  no  means. 
It  must  advance ;  but  let  it  advance  mainly  by  the  industry 
and  fidelity  of  those  who  are  employed  in  it ;  by  changes 
slowly  and  cautiously  made ;  not  by  great  efforts  to  reach  for- 
ward to  brilliant  discoveries,  which  will  draw  off  the  atten- 
tion from  -essential  duties,  and,  after  leading  the  projector 
through  perplexities  and  difficulties  without  number,  end  in 
mortification  and  failure. 

Were  I  to  give  a  few  concise  and  summary  directions  in 
regard  to  this  subject  to  a  young  teacher,  they  would  be  the 
following : 

1.  Examine  thoroughly  the  system  cf  public  and  private 
schools  as  now  constituted  in  most  of  the  states  of  this  Union, 
until  you  fully  understand  it  and  appreciate  its  excellences 
and  its  completeness  ;  sec  how  fully  it  provides  for  the  wants 
of  the  various  classes  of  our  population. 

By  this  I  mean  to  refer  only  to  the  completeness  of  the 
fystem,  as  a  system  of  organization.  I  do  not  refer  at  all  to 
the  internal  management  of  these  institutions ;  this  last  is, 
of  course,  a  field  for  immediate  and  universal  effort  at  prog- 
ress and  improvement. 


SCHEMING.  259 

2.  If,  after  fully  understanding  this  system  as  it  now  ex- 
ists, you  are  of  opinion  that  something  more  is  necessary  ;  if 
you  think  some  classes  of  the  community  are  not  fully  pro- 
vided for,  or  that  some  of  our  institutions  may  be  advanta- 
geously exchanged  for  others,  the  plan  of  which  you  have  in 
mind,  consider  Avhethcr  your  age,  and  experience,  and  stand- 
ing as  an  instructor  are  such  as  to  enable  you  to  place  confi- 
dence in  your  opinion. 

I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  a  young  man  may  not  make  a 
useful  discovery,  but  only  that  he  may  be  led  away  by  the 
ardor  of  early  life  to  fancy  that  essential  and  important  which 
is  really  not  so.  It  is  important  that  each  one  should  de- 
termine whether  this  is  not  the  case  with  himself,  if  his  mind 
i.s  revolving  some  new  plan. 

3.  Perhaps  you  are  contemplating  only  a  single  new  insti- 
tution, which  is  to  depend  for  its  success  on  yourself  and 
some  coadjutors  whom  you  have  in  mind  and  whom  you  well 
know.     If  this  is  the  case,  consider  whether  the  establish- 
ment you  arc  contemplating  can  be  carried  on,  after  you  shall 
have  left  it,  by  such  men  as  can  ordinarily  be  obtained.     If 
the  plan  is  founded  on  some  peculiar  notions  of  your  own, 
which  would  enable  you  to  succeed  in  it  when  others,  who 
might  also  be  interested  in  such  a  scheme,  would  probably 
fail,  consider  whether  there  may  not  be  danger  that  your  plan 
may  be  imitated  by  others  who  can  not  carry  it  into  success- 
ful operation,  so  that  it  may  be  the  indirect  means  of  doing 
injury.     A  man  is,  in  some  degree,  responsible  for  his  ex- 
ample and  for  the  consequences  which  may  indirectly  flow 
from  his  course,  as  well  as  for  the  immediate  results  Avhich 
he  produces.      The  Fcllenbcrg  school  at  Ilofwyl  Avas  per- 
haps, by  its  direct  results,  as  successful  for  a  time  as  any 
other  institution  in  the  world ;  but  there  is  a  great  offset 
to  the  good  which  it  has  thus  done  to  be  found  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  thousand  wretched  imitations  of  it  which  have 
been  started  only  to  linger  a  little  while  and  die,  and  in 


200 


THE   TEACHER. 


which  a  vast  amount  of  time,  and  talent,  and  money  have 
been  wasted. 

4.  Consider  the  influence  you  may  have  upon  the  other 
institutions  of  our  country,  by  attaching  yourself  to  some  one 
under  the  existing  organization.  If  you  take^an  academy  or 
a  private  school,  constituted  and  organized  like  other  similar 
institutions,  success  in  your  own  will  give  you  influence  over 
others.  A  successful  teacher  of  an  academy  raises  the  gen- 
eral standard  -of  academic  instruction.  A  college  professor, 
if  he  brings  extraordinary  talents  to  bear  upon  the  regular 
duties  of  that  office,  throws  light,  universally,  upon  the  whole 
science  of  college  discipline  and  instruction,  and  thus  aids  in 
infusing  a  continually  renewed  life  and  vigor  into  those  ven- 
erable seats  of  learning  that  might  otherwise  sink  into  dc- 


crepitude  and  decay.  By  going,  however,  to  some  new  field, 
establishing  some  new  and  fanciful  institution,  you  take  your- 
self from  such  a  sphci-c;  you  exert  no  influence  over  other?, 
except  upon  feeble  imitators,  who  fail  in  their  attempts,  and 
bring  discredit  upon  your  plans  by  the  awkwardness  with 


SCHEMING.  261 

which  they  attempt  to  adopt  them.  How  much  more  serv- 
ice, then,  to  the  cause  of  education  will  a  man  of  genius  ren- 
der, by  falling  in  with  the  regularly  organized  institutions  of 
the  country  and  elevating  them,  than  if  in  early  life  he  were 
to  devote  his  powers  to  some  magnificent  project  of  an  estab- 
lishment to  which  his  talents  would  unquestionably  have 
given  temporary  success,  but  which  would  have  taken  him 
•away  from  the  community  of  teachers,  and  confined  the  re- 
sults of  his  labors  to  the  more  immediate  effects  which  his 
daily  duties  might  produce. 

5.  Perhaps,  however,  your  plan  is  not  the  establishment 
of  some  new  institution,  but  the  introduction  of  some  new 
study  or  pursuit  into  the  one  with  which  you  arc  connected. 
Before,  however,  you  interrupt  the  regular  arrangements  of 
your  school  to  make  such  a  change,  consider  carefully  what 
is  the  real  and  appropriate  object  of  your  institution.  Every 
thing  is  not  to  be  done  in  school.  The  principles  of  division 
of  labor  apply  with  peculiar  force  to  this  employment ;  so 
that  you  must  not  only  consider  whether  the  branch  which 
you  are  now  disposed  to  introduce  is  important,  but  whether 
it  is  really  such  an  onp  as  it  is  on  the  whole  best  to  include 
among  the  objects  to  be  pursued  in  such  an  institution. 
Many  teachers  seem  to  imagine  that  if  any  thing  is  in  itself 
important,  and  especially  if  it  is  an  important  branch  of  edu- 
cation, the  question  is  settled  of  its  being  a  proper  object  of 
attention  in  school.  But  this  is  very  far  from  being  the  case. 
The  whole  work  of  education  can  never  be  intrusted  to  the 
teacher.  Much  must  of  course  remain  in  the  hands  of  the 
parent ;  it  ought  so  to  remain.  The  object  of  a  school  is  not 
to  take  children  out  of  the  parental  hands,  substituting  the 
watch  and  guardianship  of  a  stranger  for  the  natural  care  of 
father  and  mother.  Far  from  it.  It  is  only  the  association 
of  the  children  for  those  purposes  which  can  be  more  success- 
fully accomplished  by  association.  It  is  a  union  for  few, 
and  limited  objects,  for  the  accomplishment  of  that 


2  02  THE  TEACH  EH. 

part  (and  it  is  comparatively  a  small  part  of  the  general  ob- 
jects of  education)  which  can  be  most  successfully  effected 
by  public  institutions  and  in  assemblies  of  the  young. 

G.  If  the  branch  which  you  are  desiring  to  introduce  ap- 
pears to  you  to  be  an  important  part  of  education,  and  if  it 
seems  to  you  that  it  can  be  most  successfully  attended  to  in 
schools,  then  consider  whether  the  introduction  of  it,  and  of 
all  the  other  branches  having  equal  claims,  will  or  will  not  give 
to  the  common  schools  too  great  a  complexity.  Consider 
whether  it  will  succeed  in  the  hands  of  ordinary  teachers. 
Consider  whether  it  will  require  so  much  time  and  effort  as 
will  draw  off  in  any  considerable  degree,  the  attention  of  the 
teacher  from  the  more  essential  parts  of  his  duty.  All  will 
admit  that  it  is  highjy  important  that  every  school  should  be 
simple  in  its  plan — as  simple  as  its  size  and  general  circum- 
stances will  permit,  and  especially  that  the  public  schools  in 
every  town  and  village  of  our  country  should  never  lose  sight 
of  what  is  and  must  be,  after  all,  their  great  design — Icacliiiiy 
the  whole  population  to  read,  icrite,  and  calculate. 

1.  If  it  is  a  school-book  which  you  are  wishing  to  intro- 
duce, consider  well  before  you  waste  your  time  in  preparing 
it,  and  your  spirits  in  the  vexatious  work  of  getting  it  through 
the  press;  whether  it  is,  for  general  use,  so  superior  to  those 
already  published  as  to  induce  teachers  to  make  a  change  in 
favor  of  yours.  I  have  italici  ••*<'  the  words  for  general  use, 
for  no  delusion  is  more  common  than  for  a  teacher  to  sup- 
pose that  because  a  text-book  which  he  has  prepared  and 
uses  in  manuscript  is  better  for  him  than  any  other  work 
which  he  can  obtain,  it  will  therefore  be  better  for  general 
circulation.  Every  man,  if  he  has  any  originality  of  mind, 
has  of  course  some  peculiar  method  of  his  own,  and  he  can 
of  course  prepare  a  text-book  which  will  be  better  adapted 
to  this  method  than  those  ordinarily  in  use.  The  history 
of  a  vast  number  of  text-books,  Arithmetics,  Geographies, 
and  Grammars,  is  this:  A  man  of  somewhat  ingenious  mind, 


SCHEMING.  2G3 

adopts  some  peculiar  mode  of  instruction  in  one  of  these 
branches,  and  is  quite  successful,  not  because  the  method  has 
any  very  peculiar  excellence,  but  simply  because  he  takes  a 
greater  interest  in  it,  both  on  account  of  its  novelty  and  also 
from  the  fact  that  it  is  his  own  invention.  He  conceives  the 
plan  of  writing  a  text-book  to  develop  and  illustrate  this 
method.  He  hurries  through  the  work.  By  some  means 
or  other  he  gets  it  printed.  In  due  time  it  is  regularly  ad- 
vertised. The  journals  of  education  give  notice  of  it ;  the 
author  sends  a  few  copies  to  his  friends,  and  that  is  the  end 
of  it.  Perhaps  a  few  schools  may  make  a  trial  of  it,  and  if, 
for  any  reason,  the  teachers  Avho  tiy  it  arc  interested  in  the 
work,  probably  in  their  hands  it  succeeds.  But  it  docs  not 
succeed  so  well  as  to  attract  general  attention,  and  conse- 
quently docs  not  get  into  general  circulation.  The  author 
loses  his  time  and  his  patience.  The  publisher,  unless,  unfor- 
tunately, it  Avas  published  on  the  author's  account,  loses  his 
paper,  and  in  a  few  months  scarcely  any  body  knows  that 
such  a  book  ever  saw  the  light. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  the  great  multitude  of  school-books 
which  arc  now  constantly  issuing  from  the  press  take  their 
origin.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  discourage  the  preparation  of 
good  school-books.  This  department  of  our  literature  offers  a 
fine  field  for  the  efforts  of  learning  and  genius.  What  I  con- 
tend against  is  the  endless  multiplicity  of  useless  works,  hastily 
conceived  and  carelessly  executed,  and  which  serve  no  purpose 
but  to  employ  uselessly  talents  which,  if  properly  applied, 
might  greatly  benefit  both  the  community  and  the  possessor. 

8.  If,  however,  after  mature  deliberation,  you  conclude 
that  you  have  the  plan  of  a  school-book  Avhich  you  ought  to 
try  to  mature  and  execute,  be  slow  and  cautious  about  it. 
Remember  that  so  great  is  now  the  competition  in  this 
branch,  nothing  but  superior  excellence  or  very  extraordi- 
nary exertions  will  secure  the  favorable  reception  of  a  work. 
Examine  all  that  your  predecessors  have  done  before  you. 


201  THE   TEACHER. 

Obtain,  whatever  may  be  the  trouble  and  expense,  all  other 
text-books  on  the  subject,  and  examine  them  thoroughly.  If 
you  see  that  you  can  make  a  very  decided  advance  on  all  that 
has  been  done,  and  that  the  public  will  probably  submit  to 
the  inconvenience  and  expense  of  a  change  to  secure  the  re- 
sult of  your  labors,  go  forward  slowly  and  carefully  in  your 
work,  no  matter  how  much  investigation,  how  much  time 
and  labor  it  may  require.  The  more  difficulty  you  may  find 
in  gaining  the  eminence,  the  less  likely  will  you  be  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  successful  competitors. 

9.  Consider,  in  forming  your  text-book,  not  merely  the 
whole  subject  on  which  you  are  to  write,  but  also  look  ex- 
tensively and  thoroughly  at  the  institutions  throughout  the 
country,  and  consider  carefully  the  character  of  the  teachers 
by  whom  you  expect  it  to  be  used.     Sometimes  a  man  pub- 
lishes a  text-book,  and  when  it  fails  on  trial,  he  says  "it  is 
because  they  did  not  know  how  to  use  it.     The  book  in  it- 
self was  good.    The  whole  fault  was  in  the  awkwardness  and 
ignorance  of  the  teacher."     How  absurd !     As  if,  to  make  a 
good  text-book,  it  was  not  as  necessary  to  adapt  it  to  teach- 
ers as  to  scholars.     A  good  text-book,  which  the  teachers  for 
whom  it  ifas  intended  did  not  know  how  to  use  ! !     In  other 
words,  a  good  contrivance,  but  entirely  unfit  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  intended. 

10.  Lastly,  in  every  new  plan,  consider  carefully  whether 
its  success  in  your  hands,  after  you  have  tried  it  and  found  it 
successful,  be  owing  to  its  novelty  and  to  your  own  special 
interest  in  it,  or  to  its  own  innate  and  intrinsic  superiority. 
If  the  former,  use  it  so  long  as  it  will  last,  simply  to  give  va- 
riety and  interest  to  your  plans.     Recommend  it  in  conversa- 
tion or  in  other  ways  to  teachers  with  whom  you  arc  ac- 
quainted, not  as  a  wonderful  discovery,  which  is  going  to 
change  the  whole  science  of  education,  but  as  one  method 
among  others  which  may  be  introduced  from  time  to  time  to 
relieve  the  monotony  of  the  teacher's  labors. 


SCHEMING.  2G5 

In  a  word,  do  not  go  away  from  the  established  institu- 
tions of  our  country,  or  deviate  from  the  great  objects  which 
are  at  present,  and  ought  continually  to  be  pursued  by  them, 
without  great  caution,  circumspection,  and  deliberate  inquiry. 
But,  within  these  limits,  exercise  ingenuity  and  invention  as 
much  as  you  will.  Pursue  steadily  the  great  objects  which 
demand  the  teacher's  attention.  They  arc  simple  and  few. 
Never  lose  sight  of  them,  nor  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the  left 
to  follow  any  ignis  fatuus  which  may  arise  to  allure  you 
away,  but  exercise  as  much  ingenuity  and  enterprise  as  you 
please  in  giving  variety  and  interest  to  the  modes  by  which 
these  objects  arc  pursued. 

If  planning  and  scheming  arc  confined  within  these  limits, 
and  conducted  on  these  principles,  the  teacher  will  save  all 
the  agitating  perplexity  and  care  which  will  otherwise  be  his 
continual  portion.  He  can  go  forward  peaceably  and  quiet- 
ly, and  while  his  own  success  is  greatly  increased,  he  may  be 
of  essential  service  to  the  cause  in  which  he  is.  engaged,  by 
making  known  his  various  experiments  and  plans  to  others. 
For  this  purpose,  it  seems  to  me  highly  desirable  that  every 
teacher  should  KEEP  A  JOURNAL  of  all  his  plans.  In  these 
should  be  carefully  entered  all  his  experiments ;  the  new 
methods  he  adopts ;  the  course  he  takes  in  regard  to  difficul- 
ties which  may  arise,  and  any  interesting  incidents  which 
may  occur  which  it  would  be  useful  for  him  to  refer  to  at 
some  future  time.  These,  or  the  most  interesting  of  them, 
should  be  made  known  to  other  teachers.  This  may  be  done 
in  several  ways : 

(1.)  By  publishing  them  in  periodicals  devoted  to  educa- 
tion. Such  contributions,  furnished  by  judicious  men,  would 
be  among  the  most  valuable  articles  in  such  a  work.  They 
would  be  far  more  valuable  than  any  general  speculations, 
however  well  conceived  or  expressed. 

(2.)  In  newspapers  intended  for  general  circulation.  There 
M 


2GG  THE   TEACHER. 

are  very  few  editors  Avhose  papers  circulate  in  families  who 
would  not  gladly  receive  articles  of  this  kind  to  fill  a  teach- 
er's department  in  their  columns.  If  properly  written,  they 
would  be  read  with  interest  and  profit  by  multitudes  of  pa- 
rents, and  would  throw  much  light  on  family  government 
and  instruction. 

(3.)  By  reading  them  in  teachers'  meetings.  If  half  a  dozen 
teachers  who  arc  associated  in  the  same  vicinity  would  meet 
once  a  fortnight,  simply  to  hear  each  other's  journals,  they 
would  be  amply  repaid  for  their  time  and  labor.  Teachers' 
meetings  will  be  interesting  and  useful,  when  those  who  come 
forward  in  them  will  give  up  the  prevailing  practice  of  deliv- 
ering orations,  and  come  down  at  once  to  the  scenes  and  to 
the  business  of  the  school-room. 

There  is  one  topic  connected  with  the  subject  of  this  chap- 
ter which  deserves  a  few  paragraphs.  I  refer  to  the  rights 
of  the  committee,  or  the  trustees,  or  patrons  in  the  control 
of  the  school.  The  right  to  such  control,  when  claimed  at 
all,  is  usually  claimed  in  reference  to  the  teacher's  new  plans, 
which  renders  it  proper  to  allude  to  the  subject  here ;  and  it 
ought  not  to  be  omitted,  for  a  great  many  cases  occur  in 
which  teachers  have  difficulties  with  the  trustees  or  commit- 
tee of  their  school.  Sometimes  these  difficulties  result  at  last 
in  an  open  rupture ;  at  other  times  in  only  a  slight  and  tem- 
porary misunderstanding,  ai'ising  from  what  the  teacher  calls 
an  unwise  and  unwarrantable  interference  on  the  part  of  the 
committee  or  the  trustees  in  the  arrangements  of  the  school. 
Difficulties  of  some  sort  very  often  arise.  In  fact,  a  right  un- 
derstanding of  this  subject  is,  in  most  cases,  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  the  harmony  and  co-operation  of  the  teacher  and  the 
representatives  of  his  patrons. 

There  are  then,.it  must  be  recollected,  three  different  par- 
ties connected  with  every  establishment  for  education :  the 
parents  of  the  scholars,  the  teacher,  and  the  pupils  themselves. 
Sometimes,  as,  for  example,  in  a  common  private  school,  the 


SCHEMING.  267 

parents  arc  not  organized,  and  whatever  influence  they  exert 
they  must  exert  in  their  individual  capacity.  At  other  times, 
as  in  a  common  district  or  town  school,  they  are  by  law  or- 
ganized, and  the  school  committee  chosen  for  this  purpose 
are  their  legal  representatives.  In  other  instances,  a  board 
of  trustees  are  constituted  by  the  appointment  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  institution,  or  by  the  Legislature  of  a  state,  to 
whom  is  committed  the  oversight  of  its  concerns,  and  who 
are  consequently  the  representatives  of  the  founders  and  pat- 
rons of  the  school. 

There  arc  differences  between  these  various  modes  of  or- 
ganization which  I  shall  not  now  stop  to  examine,  as  it  will 
be  sufficiently  correct  for  my  purpose  to  consider  them  all  as 
only  various  ways  of  organizing  the  employers  in  the  contract 
by  which  the  teacher  is  employed.  The  teacher  is  the  agent ; 
the  patrons  represented  in  these  several  ways  are  the  princi- 
pals. When,  therefore,  in  the  following  paragraphs  I  use  the 
word  employers,  I  mean  to  be  understood  to  speak  of  the  com- 
mittee, or  the  trustees,  or  the  visitors,  or  the  parents  them-' 
;;clvcs,  as  the  case  in  each  particular  institution  maybe;  that 
is,  the  persons  for  whoso  purpose  and  at  whose  expense  the 
institution  is  maintained,  or  their  representatives. 

Now  there  is  a  very  reasonable  and  almost  universally  es- 
tablished rule,  which  teachers  are  very  frequently  prone  to 
forget,  namely,  the  employed  ought  always  to  le  responsible  to  the 
employers,  and  to  le  under  their  direction.  So  obviously  rea- 
sonable is  this  rule,  and,  in  fact,  so  absolutely  indispensable 
in  the  transaction  of  all  the  business  of  life,  that  it  would  be 
idle  to  attempt  to  establish  and  illustrate  it  here.  It  has, 
however,  limitations,  and  it  is  applicable  to  a  much  greater 
extent,  in  some  departments  of  human  labor  than  in  others. 
It  is  applicable  to  the  business  of  teaching,  and  though  I  con- 
fess that  it  is  somewhat  less  absolute  and  imperious  here, 
still  it  is  obligatory,  I  believe,  to  a  far  greater  extent  than 
teachers  have  been  generally  willing  to  admit. 


208  THE   TEACHER. 

A  young  lady,  I  will  imagine,  wishes  to  introduce  the  study 
of  Botany  into  her  school.  The  parents  or  the  committee 
object ;  they  say  that  they  wish  the  children  to  confine  their 
attention  exclusively  to  the  elementary  branches  of  educa- 
tion. "It  will  do  them  no  good,"  says  the  chairman  of  the 
committee,  "  to  learn  by  heart  some  dozen  or  two  of  learned 
names.  We  want  them  to  read  well,  to  Avrite  well,  and  to 
calculate  well,  and  not  to  waste  their  time  in  studying  about 
pistils,  and  stamens,  and  nonsense." 

Now  what  is  the  duty  of  the  teacher  in  such  a  case?  Why, 
very  plainly  her  duty  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  governor  of 
a  state,  where  the  people,  through  their  representatives,  reg- 
ularly chosen,  negative  a  proposal  which  he  considers  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  public  good.  It  is  his  duty  to  submit 
to  the  public  will;  and,  though  he  may  properly  do  all  in  his 
power  to  present  the  subject  to  his  employers  in  such  a  light 
as  to  lead  them  to  regard  it  as  he  does,  he  must  still,  until 
they  do  so  regard  it,  bow  to  their  authority ;  and  every  mag- 
istrate who  takes  an  enlarged  and  comprehensive  view  of  his 
duties  as  the  executive  of  a  republican  community,  will  do 
this  without  any  humiliating  feelings  of  submission  to  un- 
authorized interference  with  his  plans.  He  will,  on  the  other 
hand,  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  he  confines  him- 
self to  his  proper  sphere,  and  leave  to  others  the  full  posses- 
sion of  rights  which  properly  pertain  to  them. 

It  is  so  .with  every  case  where  the  relation  of  employer  and 
employed  subsists.  You  engage  a  carpenter  to  erect  a  house 
for  you,  and  you  present  your  plan  ;  instead  of  going  to  work 
and  executing  your  orders  according  to  your  wishes,  he  falls 
to  criticising  and  condemning  it ;  he  finds  fault  with  this,  and 
ridicules  that,  and  tells  you  you  ought  to  make  such  and  such 
an  alteration  in  it.  It  is  perfectly  right  for  him  to  give  his 
opinion,  in  the  tone  and  spirit  of  recommendation  or  suggestion, 
with  a  distinct  understanding  that  with  his  employer  rests 
the  power  and  the  right  to  decide.  But  how  many  teachers 


SCHEMING.  2G9 

take  possession  of  their  school-room  as  though  it  was  an  em- 
pire in  which  they  arc  supreme,  who  resist  every  interference 
of  their  employers  as  they  would  an  attack  upon  their  per- 
sonal freedom,  and  who  feel  that  in  regard  to  every  tiling 
connected  with  school  they  have  really  no  actual  responsi- 
bility. 

In  most  cases,  the  employers,  knowing  how  sensitive  teach- 
ers very  frequently  arc  on  this  point,  acquiesce  in  it,  and 
leave  them  to  themselves.  "Whenever,  in  any  case,  they  think 
that  the  state  of  the  school  requires  their  interference,  they 
come  cautiously  and  fearfully  to  the  teacher,  as  if  they  were 
encroaching  upon  his  rights,  instead  of  advancing  with  the 
confidence  and  directness  with  which  employers  have  always 
a  right  to  approach  the  employed  ;  and  the  teacher,  with  the 
view  he  has  insensibly  taken  of  the  subject,  being  perhaps 
confirmed  by  the  tone  and  manner  which  his  employers  use, 
makes  the  conversation  quite  as  often  an  occasion  of  resent- 
ment and  offense  as  of  improvement.  lie  is  silent,  perhaps, 
but  in  his  heart  he  accuses  his  committee  or  his  trustees  of 
improper  interference  in  his  concerns,  as  though  it  was  no 
part  of  their  business  to  look  after  work  which  is  going  for- 
ward for  their  advantage,  and  for  which  they  pay. 

Perhaps  some  individuals  who  have  had  some  collision  with 
their  trustees  or  committee  will  ask  me  if  I  mean  that  a 
teacher  ought  to  be  entirely  and  immediately  under  the  su- 
pervision and  control  of  the  trustees,  just  as  a  mechanic  is 
when  employed  by  another  man.  By  no  means.  There  are 
various  circumstances  connected  with  the  nature  of  this  em- 
ployment, such  as  the  impossibility  of  the  employers  fully 
understanding  it  in  all  its  details,  and  the  character  and  the 
standing  of  the  teacher  himself,  which  always  will,  in  matter 
of  fact,  prevent  this.  The  employers  always  will,  in  a  great 
many  respects,  place  more  confidence  in  the  teacher  and  in 
his  views  than  they  will  in  their  own.  But  still,  the  ulti- 
mate power  is  theirs.  Even  if  they  err,  if  they  wish  to  have 


270  THE   TEACHER. 

a  course  pursued  which  is  manifestly  inexpedient  and  wrong-, 
tJiey  still  have  a  rigid  to  decide.  It  is  their  work  ;  it  is  going 
on  at  their  instance  and  at  their  expense,  and  the  power  of 
ultimate  decision  on  all  disputed  questions  must,  from  the 
very  nature  of  the  case,  rest  with  them.  The  teacher  may, 
it  is  true,  have  his  option  either  to  comply  with  their  wishes 
or  to  seek  employment  in  another  sphere ;  but  while  he  re- 
mains in  the  employ  of  any  persons,  whether  in  teaching  or 
in  any  other  service,  he  is  bound  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  his 
employers  when  they  insist  \ipon  it,  and  to  submit  good- 
humoredly  to  their  direction  when  they  shall  claim  their  un- 
doubted right  to  direct. 

This  is  to  be  done,  it  must  be  remembered,  when  they  are 
wrong  as  well  as  when  they  arc  right.  The  obligation  of 
the  teacher  is  not  founded  upon  the  superior  irisdom  of  his 
employers  in  reference  to  the  business  for  which  they  have 
engaged  him,  for  they  are  very  probably  his  inferiors  in  this 
respect,  but  upon  tiitir  right  as  employers  to  determine  hoiv 
their  own  icork  shall  le  done.  A  gardener,  we  will  suppose, 
is  engaged  by  a  gentleman  to  lay  out  his  grounds.  The  gar- 
dener goes  to  work,  and,  after  a  few  hours,  the  gentleman 
comes  out  to  see  how  he  goes  on  and  to  give  directions.  He 
proposes  something  which  the  gardener,  who,  to  make  the 
case  stronger,  we  will  suppose  knows  better  than  the  propri- 
etor of  the  grounds,  considers  ridiculous  and  absurd ;  nay, 
we  will  suppose  it  is  ridiculous  and  absurd.  Now  what  can 
the  gardener  do  ?  There  are  obviously  two  courses.  lie 
can  say  to  the  proprietor,  after  a  vain  attempt  to  convince 
him  he  is  wrong,  "Well,  sir,  I  will  do  just  as  you  say.  The 
grounds  are  yours :  I  have  no  interest  in  it  or  responsibility, 
except  to  accomplish  your  wishes."  This  would  be  right. 
Or  he  might  say,  "  Sir,  you  have  a  right  to  direct  upon  your 
own  grounds,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  interfere  with  your  plans  ; 
but  I  must  ask  you  to  obtain  another  gardener.  I  have  a 
reputation  at  stake,  and  this  work,  if  I  do  it  even  at  your 


SCHEMING.  271 

direction,  will  be  considered  as  a  specimen  of  my  taste  and 
of  my  planning,  so  that  I  must,  in  justice  to  myself,  decline 
remaining  in  your  employment."  This,  too,  would  be  right, 
though  probably,  both  in  the  business  of  gardening  and  of 
teaching,  the  case  ought  to  be  a  strong  one  to  render  it  ex- 
pedient. 

But  it  would  not  be  right  for  him,  after  his  employer  should 
have  gone  away,  to  say  to  himself,  with  a  feeling  of  resent- 
ment at  the  imaginary  interference,  "  I  shall  not  follow  any 
such  directions;  I  understand  my  own  trade,  and  shall  receive 
no  instructions  in  it  from  him  ;"  and  then,  disobeying  all  di- 
rections, go  on  and  do  the  work  contrary  to  the  orders  of  his 
employer,  who  alone  has  a  right  to  decide. 

And  yet  a  great  many  teachers  take  a  course  as  absurd 
and  unjustifiable  as  this  would  be.  AVhcnever  the  parents, 
or  the  committee,  or  the  trustees  express,  however  mildly  and 
properly,  their  Avishes  in  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  they 
desire  to  have  their  own  work  performed,  their  pride  is  at 
once  aroused.  They  seem  to  feel  it  an  indignity  to  act  in 
any  other  way  than  just  in  accordance  with  their  own  will 
and  pleasure ;  and  they  absolutely  refuse  to  comply,  resent- 
ing the  interference  as  an  insult ;  or  else,  if  they  apparently 
yield,  it  is  with  mere  cold  civility,  and  entirely  without  any 
honest  desire  to  carry  the  wishes  thus  expressed  into  actual 
effect. 

Parents  may,  indeed,  often  misjudge.  A  good  teacher  will, 
however,  soon  secure  their  confidence,  and  they  may  acqui- 
esce in  his  opinion.  But  they  ought  to  be  watchful,  and  the 
teacher  ought  to  feel  and  acknowledge  their  authority  on  all 
questions  connected  with  the  education  of  their  children. 
They  have  originally  entire  power  in  regard  to  the  course 
which  is  to  be  pursued  with  them.  Providence  has  made  the 
parents  responsible,  and  wholly  responsible,  for  the  manner  in 
which  their  children  are  prepared  for  the  duties  of  this  life, 
and  it  is  interesting  to  observe  how  very  cautious  the  laws  of 


272  THE   TEACHER. 

society  arc  about  interfering  with  the  parent's  wishes  in  re- 
gard to  the  education  of  the  child.  There  are  many  cases  in 
which  enlightened  governments  might  make  arrangements 
which  would  be  better  than  those  made  by  the  parents  if 
they  are  left  to  themselves.  But  they  will  not  do  it ;  they 
ought  not  to  do  it.  God  has  placed  the  responsibility  in  the 
hands  of  the  father  and  mother,  and  unless  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  exercised  is  calculated  to  endanger  or  to  injure 
the  community,  there  can  rightfully  be  no  interference  except 
that  of  argument  and  persuasion. 

It  ought  also  to  be  considered  that  upon  the  parents  will 
come  the  consequences  of  the  good  or  bad  education  of  their 
children,  and  not  upon  the  teacher,  and  consequently  it  is 
right  that  they  should  direct.  The  teacher  remains,  perhaps, 
a  few  months  with  his  charge,  and  then  goes  to  other  places, 
and  perhaps  hears  of  them  no  more.  He  has  thus  very  little 
at  stake.  The  parent  has  every  thing  at  stake ;  and  it  is  man- 
ifestly unjust  to  give  one  man  the  power  of  deciding,  while 
he  escapes  all  the  consequences  of  his  mistakes,  if  he  makes 
any,  and  to  take  away  all  the  power  from  those  upon  Avhose 
heads  all  the  suffering  which  will  follow  an  abuse  of  the  pow- 
er must  descend. 


REPORTS    OF    CASES. 


273 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REPORTS     OF     CASES. 

HERE  is,  perhaps,  no 
way  by  which  a  writ- 
er can  more  effectually 
explain  his  views  on  the 
subject  of  education  than 
by  presenting  a  great  va- 
riety of  actual  cases,  whe- 
,i»w   w  .  ther  real  or  imaginary, 

$f£l  .•^U"'~v'  and  describing  particu- 
larly  the  course  of  treatment  which  he 
would  recommend  in  each.  This  meth- 
}  od  of  communicating  knowledge  is  very 
f/  extensively  resorted  to  in  the  medical  pro- 
[|?  fcssion,  where  writers  detail  particular  cases, 
and  report  the  symptoms  and  the  treatment  for 
'  each  succeeding  day,  so  that  the  reader  may  al- 
most fancy  himself  actually  a  visitor  at  the  sick-bed,  and  the 
nature  and  effects  of  the  various  prescriptions  become  fixed 
in  the  mind  with  almost  as  much  distinctness  and  perma- 
nency as  actual  experience  would  give. 

This  principle  has  been  kept  in  view,  the  reader  may  per- 
haps think,  too  closely  in  all  the  chapters  of  this  volume,  al- 
most every  point  brought  up  having  been  illustrated  by  anec- 
dotes and  narratives.  I  propose,  however,  devoting  one  chap- 
ter now  to  presenting  a  number  of  miscellaneous  cases,  with- 
out any  attempt  to  arrange  them.  Sometimes  the  case  will 
be  merely  stated,  the  reader  being  left  to  draw  the  inference  ; 
at  others,  such  remarks  will  be  added  as  the  case  suggests. 

1C  2 


274  THE   TEACHER. 

All  will,  however,  be  intended  to  answer  some  useful  pur- 
pose, either  to  exhibit  good  or  bad  management  and  its  con- 
sequences, or  to  bring  to  view  some  trait  of  human  nature, 
as  it  exhibits  itself  in  children,  which  it  may  be  desirable  for 
the  teacher  to  know.  Let  it  be  understood,  however,  that 
these  cases  are  not  selected  with  reference  to  their  being 
strange  or  extraordinary.  They  are  rather  chosen  because 
they  are  common  ;  that  is,  they,  or  cases  similar,  will  be  con- 
stantly occurring  to  the  teacher,  and  reading  such  a  chapter 
will  be  the  best  substitute  for  experience  which  the  teacher 
can  have.  Some  arc  descriptions  of  literary  exercises  or  plans 
which  the  reader  can  adopt  in  classes  or  with  a  whole  school ; 
others  are  cases  of  discipline,  good  or  bad  management,  which 
the  teacher  can  imitate  or  avoid.  The  stories  arc  from  va- 
rious sources,  and  arc  the  results  of  the  experience  of  several 
individuals. 

1.  HATS  AND  BONNETS. — The  master  of  a  district  school 
was  accidentally  looking  out  of  the  window  one  day,  and  he 
saw  one  of  the  boys  throwing  stones  at  a  hat,  which  was  put 
up  for  that  purpose  upon  the  fence.  He  said  nothing  about 
it  at  the  time,  but  made  a  memorandum  of  the  occurrence, 
that  he  might  bring  it  before  the  school  at  the  proper  time. 
When  the  hour  set  apart  for  attending  to  the  general  busi- 
ness of  the  school  had  arrived,  and  all  were  still,  he  said, 

"  I  saw  one  of  the  boys  throwing  stones  at  a  hat  to-day : 
did  he  do  right  or  wrong?" 

There  were  one  or  two  faint  murmurs  which  sounded  like 
"Wrong,"  but  the  boys  generally  made  no  answer. 

"Perhaps  it  depends  a  little  upon  the  question  whose  hat 
it  was.  Do  you  think  it  docs  depend  upon  that?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Well,  suppose  then  it  was  not  his  own  hat,  and  he  was 
throwing  stones  at  it  without  the  owner's  consent,  would  it 
be  plain  in  that  case  whether  he  was  doing  right  or  wrong?" 


11KPORTS    OF   CASKS.  275 

"  Yes,  sir ;  wrong,"  was  the  universal  reply. 

"  Suppose  it  was  his  own  hat,  would  he  have  been  right  ? 
Has  a  boy  a  right  to  do  what  he  pleases  with  his  own  hat  T' 

"Yes,  sir,"  "Yes,  sir;"  "No,  sir,"  "No,  sir,"  answered 
the  boys,  confusedly. 

"  I  do  not  know  whose  hat  it  was.  If  the  boy  who  did 
it  is  willing  to  rise  and  tell  me,  it  will  help  us  to  decide  this 
question." 

The  boy,  knowing  that  a  severe  punishment  was  not  in 
such  a  case  to  be  anticipated,  and,  in  fact,  apparently  pleased 
with  the  idea  of  exonerating  himself  from  the  blame  of  will- 
fully injuring  the  property  of  another,  rose  and  said, 

"  I  suppose  it  was  I,  sir,  who  did  it,  and  it  was  my  own 
hat." 

"  Well,"  said  the  master,  "  I  am  glad  that  you  are  willing 
to  tell  frankly  how  it  was ;  but  let  us  look  at  this  case. 
There  arc  two  senses  in  which  a  hat  may  be  said  to  belong 
to  any  person.  It  may  belong  to  him  because  he  bought  it 
and  paid  for  it,  or  it  may  belong  to  him  because  it  fits  him 
and  he  wears  it.  In  other  words,  a  person  may  have  a  hat 
as  his  property,  or  he  may  have  it  only  as  a  part  of  his  dress. 
Now  you  see  that,  according  to  the  first  of  these  senses,  all 
the  hats  in  this  school  belong  to  your  fathers.  There  is  not, 
in  fact,  a  single  boy  in  this  school  who  has  a  hat  of  his  own." 

The  .boys  laughed. 

"  Is  not  this  the  fact  T 

"Yes,  sir." 

"It  certainly  is  so,  though  I  suppose  James  did  not  con- 
sider it.  Your  fathers  bought  your  hats.  They  worked  for 
them  and  paid  for  them.  You  are  only  the  wearers,  and 
consequently  every  generous  boy,  and,  in  fact,  every  honest 
boy,  will  be  careful  of  the  property  which  is  intrusted  to 
him,  but  which,  strictly  speaking,  is  not  his  own. 

2.  MISTAKES. — A  wide  difference  must  always  be  made 


276  TI1E   TEACIIEK. 

between  mistakes  arising  from  carelessness,  and  those  result- 
ing from  circumstances  beyond  control,  such  as  want  of  suf- 
ficient data,  and  the  like.  The  former  are  alwaj'S  censura- 
ble; the  latter  never;  for  they  may  be  the  result  of  correct 
reasoning  from  insufficient  data,  and  it  is  the  reasoning  only 
for  which  the  child  is  responsible. 

';  What  do  you  suppose  a  prophet  is?''  said  a  teacher  to  a 
class  of  little  boys.  The  word  occurred  in  their  reading  lesson. 

The  scholars  all  hesitated ;  at  last  one  ventured  to  reply  : 

"  If  a  man  should  sell  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  get  more  for 
them  than  they  are  worth,  he  would  be  a  prophet." 

"Yes,"  said  the  instructor,  "that  is  right;  that  is  one 
kind  of  profit,  but  this  is  another  and  a  little  different,"  and 
he  proceeded  to  explain  the  word,  and  the  difference  of  the 
spelling. 

This  child  had,  without  doubt,  heard  of  sonic  transaction 
of  the  kind  which  he  described,  and  had  observed  that  the 
word  profit  was  applied  to  it.  Now  the  care  which  he  had 
exercised  in  attending  to  it  at  the  time,  and  remembering  it 
when  the  same  word  (for  the  difference  in  the  spelling  he  of 
course  knew  nothing  about)  occurred  again,  was  really  com- 
mendable. The  fact,  which  is  a  mere  accident,  that  we  affix 
very  different  significations  to  the  same  sound,  was  unknown 
to  him.  The  fault,  if  any  where,  was  in  the  language  and 
not  in  him,  for  he  reasoned  correctly  from  the  data  he  pos- 
sessed, and  he  deserved  credit  for  it. 

The  teacher  should  always  discriminate  carefully  between 
errors  of  this  kind,  and  those  that  result  from  culpable  care- 
lessness. 

3.  TARDINESS. — "  My  duty  to  this  school,"  said  a  teacher 
to  his  pupils,  "  demands,  as  I  suppose  you  all  admit,  that  I 
should  require  you  all  to  be  here  punctually  at  the  time  ap- 
pointed for  the  commencement  of  the  school.  I  have  done 
nothing  on  this  subject  yet,  for  I  wished  to- see  whether  you 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  277 

would  not  ccmc  early  on  principle.  I  wish  now,  however,  to 
inquire  in  regard  to  this  subject,  and  to  ascertain  how  many 
have  been  tardy,  and  to  consider  what  must  be  done  here- 
after." 

He  made  the  inquiries,  and  ascertained  pretty  nearly  how 
many  had  been  tardy,  and  how  often  within  a  week. 

The  number  was  found  to  be  so  great  that  the  scholars  ad- 
mitted that  something  ought  to  be  done. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  asked  he.  "  Can  any  one  propose  a, 
plan  which  will  remedy  the  difficulty  ?" 

There  was  no  answer. 

• 

"The  easiest  and  plcasantcst  way  to  secure  punctuality  is 
for  thd  scholars  to  come  early  of  their  own  accord,  upon  prin- 
ciple. It  is  evident,  from  the  reports,  that  many  of  you  do 
so.  but  some  do  not.  Now  there  is  no  other  plan  which  will 
not  be  attended  with  very  serious  difficulty,  but  I  am  willing 
to  adopt  the  one  which  will  be  most  agreeable  to  yourselves, 
if  it  will  be  likely  to  accomplish  the  object.  Has  any  one  any 
plan  to  propose  ?" 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  It  would  evidently,"  continued  the  teacher,  "be  the  easi- 
est for  me  to  leave  this  subject,  and  do  nothing  about  it.  It 
is  of  no  personal  consequence  to  me  whether  you  come  early 
or  not,  but  as  long  as  I  hold  this  office  I  must  be  faithful,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  the  school  committee,  if  they  knew  how  many 
of  you  were  tardy,  would  think  I  ought  to  do  something  to  di- 
minish the  evil. 

"The  best  plan  that  I  can  think  of  is  that  all  who  are  tar- 
dy should  lose  their  recess." 

The  boys  looked  rather  anxiously  at  one  another,  but  con- 
tinued silent. 

"There  is  a  great  objection  to  this  plan  from  the  fact  that 
a  boy  is  sometimes  necessarily  absent,  and  by  this  rule  he  will 
lose  his  recess  with  the  rest,  so  that  the  innocent  will  be  pun- 
ished with  the  guilty." 


278  THE   TEACHER. 

"  I  should  think,  sir,"  said  William,.  "  that  those  who  are 
necessarily  tardy  might  be  excused." 

"  Yes,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  excuse  them,  if  I  could  find 
out  who  they  are." 

The  boys  seemed  to  be  surprised  at  this  remark,  as  if  they 
thought  it  would  not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  decide. 

"  How  can  I  tell T'  asked  the  master. 

"  You  can  hear  their  excuses,  and  then  decide." 

"Yes,"  said  the  teacher:  "but  here  arc  fifteen  or  twenty 
boys  tardy  this  morning ;  now  how  long  would  it  take  rnc  to 
hear  their  excuses,  and  understand  each  case  thoroughly,  so 
that  I  could  really  tell  whether  they  were  tardy  from  good 
reasons  or  not"]" 

No  answer. 

"  Should  you  not  think  it  would  take  a  minute  apiece?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  would,  undoubtedly,  and  even  then  I  could  not  in  many 
cases  tell.  It  would  take  fifteen  minutes,  at  least.  I  can  not 
do  this  in  school  hours,  for  I  have  not  time,  and  if  I  do  it  in 
recess  it  will  consume  the  whole  of  every  recess.  Now  I  need 
the  rest  of  a  recess  as  well  as  you,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  me 
to  be  just  that  I  should  lose  the  whole  of  mine  every  day,  and 
spend  it  in  a  most  unpleasant  business,  when  I  take  pains  rny- 
self  to  come  punctually  every  morning.  Would  it  be  just?" 

"  No,  sir." 

<;I  think  it  would  be  less  unjust  to  deprive  all  those  of 
their  recess  who  are  tardy ;  for  then  the  loss  of  a  redess  by  a 
boy  who  had  not  been  to  blame  would  not  be  very  common, 
and  the  evil  would  be  divided  among  the  whole ;  but  in  the 
plan  of  my  hearing  the  excuses  it  would  all  cpmc  upon  one." 

After  a  short  pause  one  of  the  boys  said  that  they  might 
be  required  to  bring  written  excuses. 

"Yes,  that  is  another  plan,"  said  the  teacher ;  "  but  there 
are  objections  to  it.  Can  any  of  you  jthink  what  they  arc  ? 
I  suppose  you  have  all  been,  cither  at  this  school  or  at  some 


KEPOKTS    OF    CASES.  279 

other,  required  to  bring  written  excuses,  so  that  you  have 
seen  the  plan  tried.  Now  have  you  never  noticed  any  objec- 
tion to  it?" 

One  boy  said  that  it  gave  the  parents  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
at  home. 

"Yes,"  said  the  teacher,  "this  is  a  great  objection;  it  is 
often  very  inconvenient  to  write.  But  that  is  not  the  great- 
est difficulty;  can  any  of  you  think  of  any  other?" 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  Do  you  think  that  these  written  excuses  arc,  after  all,  a 
fair  test  of  the  real  reasons  for  tardiness  ?  I  understand  that 
sometimes  boys  will  tease  their  fathers  or  mothers  for  an  ex- 
cuse when  they  do  not  deserve  it,  '  Yes,  sir,'  and  sometimes 
they  will  loiter  about  when  sent  of  an  errand  before  school, 
knowing  that  they  can  get  a  written  excuse,  when  they  might 
easily  have  been  punctual." 

"Yes,  sir,"  "Yes,  sir,"  said  the  boys. 

"  Well,  now,  if  we  adopt  this  plan,  some  unprincipled  boy 
would  always  contrive  to  have  an  excuse,  whether  necessarily 
tardy  or  not ;  and,  besides,  each  parent  would  have  a  differ- 
ent principle  and  a  different  opinion  as  to  what  was  a  reason- 
able excuse,  so  that  there  would  be  no  uniformity,  and,  con- 
sequently, no  justice  in  the  operation  of  the  system." 

The  boys  admitted  the  truth  of  this,  and,  as  no  other  plan 
was  presented,  the  rule  was  adopted  of  requiring  all  those  who 
were  tardy  to  remain  in  their  seats  during  the  recess,  wheth- 
er they  were  necessarily  tardy  or  not.  The  plan  very  soon 
diminished  the  number  of  loiterers. 

4.  HELEN'S  LESSOX. — The  possibility  of  being  inflexibly 
firm  in  measures,  and,  at  the  same  time,  gentle  and  mild  in 
manners  and  language,  is  happily  illustrated  in  the  following 
description,  which  is  based  on  an  incident  narrated  by  Mrs. 
Sherwood : 

"  Mrs.  M.  had  observed,  even  during  the  feAv  days  that 


280  THE   TEACHER. 

Helen  had  been  under  her  care,  that  she  was  totally  unac- 
customed to  habits  of  diligence  and  application.  After  making 
all  due  allowance  for  long-indulged  habits  of  indolence  and 
inattention,  she  one  morning  assigned  an  easy  lesson  to  her 
pupil,  informing  her  at  the  same  time  that  she  should  hear  it 
immediately  before  dinner.  Helen  made  no  objections  to  the 
plan,  but  she  silently  resolved  not  to  perform  the  required 
task.  Being  in  some  measure  a  stranger,  she  thought  her 
aunt  would  not  insist  upon  perfect  obedience,  and  besides,  in 
her  estimation,  she  was  too  old  to  be  treated  like  a  child. 

"  During  the  whole  morning  Helen  exerted  herself  to  be 
mild  and  obliging ;  her  conduct  toward  her  aunt  was  uncom- 
monly affectionate.  By  these  and  various  other  artifices  she 
endeavored  to  gain  her  first  victory.  Meanwhile  Mrs.  M. 
quietly  pursued  her  various  avocations,  without  apparently 
noticing  Helen's  conduct.  At  length  dinner-hour  arrived ; 
the  lesson  was  called  for,  but  Helen  was  unprepared.  Mrs. 
M.  told  Helen  she  was  sorry  that  she  had  not  learned  the  les- 
son, and  concluded  by  saying  that  she  hoped  she  would  be 
prepared  before  tea-tirne. 

"  Helen,  finding  she  was  not  to  come  to  the  table,  began  to 
be  a  little  alarmed.  She  was  acquainted  in  some  measure 
with  the  character  of  her  aunt,  still  she  hoped  to  be  allowed 
to  partake  of  the  dessert,  as  she  had  been  accustomed  to  on 
similar  occasions  at  home,  and  soon  regained  her  wonted 
composure.  But  the  dinner-cloth  was  removed,  and  there 
sat  Helen,  suffering  not  a  little  from  hunger;  still  she  would 
not  complain ;  she  meant  to  convince  her  aunt  that  she  was 
not  moved  by  trifles. 

"A  walk  had  been  proposed  for  the  afternoon,  and  as  the 
hour  drew  near,  Helen  made  preparations  to  accompany  the 
party.  Mrs.  M.  reminded  her  of  her  lesson,  but  she  just  no- 
ticed the  remark  by  a  toss  of  the  head,  and  was  soon  in  the 
green  fields,  apparently  the  gayest  of  the  gay.  After  her  re- 
turn from  the  excursion  she  complained  of  a  head-ache,  which 


REPORTS    OF   CASES.  281 

in  fact  she  had.  She  threw  herself  languidly  on  the  sofa, 
sighed  deeply,  and  took  up  her  History. 

"  Tea  was  now  on  the  table,  and  most  tempting  looked 
the  white  loaf.  Mrs.  M.  again  heard  the  pupil  recite,  but 
was  sorry  to  find  the  lesson  still  imperfectly  prepared.  She 
left  her,  saying  she  thought  half  an  hour's  additional  study 
would  conquer  all  the  diificulties  she  found  in  the  lesson. 

"During  all  this  time  Mrs.  M.  appeared  so  perfectly  calm, 
composed,  and  even  kind,  and  so  regardless  of  sighs  and  dole- 
ful exclamations,  that  Helen  entirely  lost  her  equanimity,  and 
let  her  tears  flow  freely  and  abundantly.  Her  mother  was  al- 
ways moved  by  her  tears,  and  would  not  her  aunt  relent  ?  No. 
Mrs.  M.  quietly  performed  the  duties  of  the  table,  and  order- 
ed the  tea-equipage  to  be  removed.  This  latter  movement 
brought  Helen  to  reflection.  It  is  useless  to  resist,  thought 
she  ;  indeed,  why  should  I.  wish  to?  Nothing  too  much  has 
been  required  of  me.  How  ridiculous  I  have  made  myself 
appear  in  the  eyes  of  my  aunt,  and  even  of  the  domestics ! 

"  In  less  than  an  hour  she  had  the  satisfaction  of  reciting 
her  lesson  perfectly ;  her  aunt  made  no  comments  on  the  oc- 
casion, but  assigned  her  the  next  lesson,  and  went  on  sewing. 
Helen  did  not  expect  this;  she  had  anticipated  a  refreshing 
cup  of  tea  after  the  long  siege.  She  had  expected  that  even 
something  nicer  than  usual  would  be  necessary  to  compensate 
her  for  her  past  sufferings.  At  length,  worn  out  by  long- 
continued  watching  and  fasting,  she  went  to  the  closet,  pro- 
vided herself  with  a  cracker,  and  retired  to  bed  to  muse  de- 
liberately on  the  strange  character  of  her  aunt. 

"Teachers  not  unfrequently  threaten  their  pupils  with 
some  proper  punishment,  but,  when  obliged  to  put  the  threat 
into  execution,  contrive  in  some  indirect  way  to  abate  its 
rigor,  and  thus  destroy  all  its  effects.  For  example,  a  mother 
was  in  the  habit,  when  her  little  boy  ran  beyond  his  pre- 
scribed play-ground,  of  putting  him  into  solitary  confinement. 
On  such  occasions,  she  was  very  careful  to  have  some  amus- 


282  THE   TEACHER. 

ing  book  or  diverting  plaything  in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the 
room,  and  not  unfrequcntly  a  piece  of  gingerbread  was  given 
to  solace  the  runaway.  The  mother  thought  it  very  strange 
her  little  boy  should  so  often  transgress,  when  he  knew  what 
to  expect  from  such  a  course  of  conduct.  The  boy  was  wiser 
than  the  mother ;  he  knew  perfectly  well  how  to  manage  the 
business.  He  could  play  with  the  boys  beyond  the  garden 
gate,  and  if  detected,  to  be  sure  he  was  obliged  to  spend  a 
quiet  hour  in  the  pleasant  parlor.  But  this  was  not  intoler- 
able as  long  as  he  could  expect  a  paper  of  sugar-plums,  a 
cake,  or  at  least  something  amply  to  compensate  him  for  the 
loss  of  a  game  at  marbles." 

5.  COMPLAINTS  OF  LONG  LESSONS. — A  college  officer  as- 
signed lessons  which  the  idle  and  ignorant  members  of  the 
class  thought  too  long.  They  murmured  for  a  time,  and  at 
last  openly  complained.  The  other  members  of  the  class 
could  say  nothing  in  behalf  of  the  professor,  awed  by  the 
greatest  of  all  fears  to  a  collegian,  the  fear  of  being  called  a 
"Jisha-"  or  a  "  bluesldn."  The  professor  paid  no  attention  to 
the  petitions  and  complaints  which  were  poured  in  upon  him, 
and  which,  though  originated  by  the  idle,  all  were  compelled 
to  vote  for.  He  coldly,  and  with  uncompromising  dignity, 
went  on ;  the  excitement  in  the  class  incrcaecd,  and  what  is 
called  a  college  rebellion,  with  all  its  disastrous  consequences 
to  the  infatuated  rebels,  ensued. 

Another  professor  had  the  dexterity  to  manage  the  case  in 
a  different  way.  After  hearing  that  there  was  dissatisfac- 
tion, he  brought  up  the  subject  as  follows : 

"  I  understand,  gentlemen,  that  you  consider  your  lessons 
too  long.  Perhaps  I  have  overrated  the  abilities  of  the  class, 
but  I  have  not  intended  to  assign  you  more  than  you  can  ac- 
complish. I  feel  no  other  interest  in  the  subject  than  the 
pride  and  pleasure  it  would  give  me  to  have  my  class  stand 
high,  in  respect  to  the  aanount  of  ground  it  has  gone  over, 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  283 

when  you  come  to  examination.  I  propose,  therefore,  that 
you  appoint  a  committee,  in  whose  abilities  and  judgment 
you  can  confide,  and  let  them  examine  this  subject  and  report. 
They  might  ascertain  how  much  other  classes  have  done,  and 
how  much  is  expedient  for  this  class  to  attempt;  and  then, 
by  estimating  the  number  of  recitations  assigned  to  this  study, 
they  can  easily  determine  what  should  be  the  length  of  the 
lessons." 

The  plan  was  adopted,  and  the  report  put  an  end  to  tho 
difficulty. 

G.  ENGLISH  COMPOSITION. — The  great  prevailing  fault  of 
Avriters  in  this  country  is  an  affectation  of  eloquence.  It  is 
almost  universally  the  fashion  to  aim,  not  at  striking  thoughts, 
simply  and  clearly  expressed,  but  at  splendid  language,  glow- 
ing imagery,  and  magnificent  periods.  It  arises,  perhaps, 
from  the  fact  that  public,  speaking  is  the  almost  universal 
object  of  ambition,  and,  consequently,  both  at  school  and  at 
college,  nothing  is  thought  of  but  oratory.  Vain  attempts 
at  oratory  result,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  in  grandiloquence 
and  empty  verbiage — common  thoughts  expressed  in  pom- 
pous periods. 

The  teacher  should  guard  against  this,  and  assign  to  chil- 
dren such  subjects  as  arc  within  the  field  of  childish  observa- 
tion. A  little  skill  on  his  part  will  soon  determine  the  ques- 
tion which  kind  of  writing  shall  prevail  in  his  school.  The 
following  specimens,  both  written  with  some  skill,  will  illus- 
trate the  two  kinds  of  writing  alluded  to.  Both  were  writ- 
ten by  pupils  of  the  same  age,  twelve ;  one  a  boy,  the  other 
a  girl.  The  subjects  were  assigned  by  the  teacher.  I  need 
not  say  that  the  following  was  the  writer's  first  attempt  at 
composition,  and  that  it  is  printed  without  alteration. 

THE  PAINS  OF  A  SAILOR'S  LIFE. 

The  joyful  sailor  embarks  on  board  of  his  ship,  the  sails  arc  spread  to 
catch  the  playful  gale,  swift  as  an  arrow  he  cuts  the  rolling  wave.  A 


284  THE   TEACHER. 

few  days  thus  sporting  on  the  briny  wave,  when  suddenly  the  sky  is 
overspread  with  clouds,  the  rain  descends  in  torrents,  the  sails  are  low- 
ered, the  gale  begins,  the  vessel  is  carried  with  great  velocity,  and  the 
shrouds,  unable  to  support  the  tottering  mast,  gives  way  to  the  furious 
tempest ;  the  vessel  is  drove  among  the  rocks,  is  sprung  aleak  ;  the  sailor 
works  at  the  pumps  till,  faint  and  weary,  is  heard  from  below,  six  feet 
of  water  in  the  hold  ;  the  boats  arc  got  ready,  but,  before  they  are  into 
them,  the  vessel  is  dashed  against  a  reef  of  rocks ;  some,  in  despair,  throw 
themselves  into  the  sea ;  others  get  on  the  rocks  without  any  clothes 
or  provisions,  and  linger  a  few  days,  perhaps  weeks  or  months,  living 
on  shell  fish,  or  perhaps  taken  up  by  some  ship ;  others  get  on  pieces 
of  the  wreck,  and  perhaps  be  cast  on  some  foreign  country,  where  per- 
haps he  may  be  taken  by  the  natives,  and  sold  into  slavery  where  he 
never  more  returns. 

In  regard  to  the  following  specimen,  it  should  be  stated 
that  when  the  subject  was  assigned,  the  pupil  was  directed 
to  see  how  precisely  she  could  imitate  the  language  and  con- 
versation which  two  little  children  really  lost  in  the  woods 
would  use.  While  writing,  therefore,  her  mind  was  in  pur- 
suit of  the  natural  and  the  simple,  not  of  the  eloquent. 

Two  CHILDREN  LOST  IN  THE  WOODS. 

Emily.  Look  here !  see  how  many  berries  I've  got.  I  don't  believe 
you've  got  so  many. 

Charles.  Yes,  I'm  sure  I  have.  My  basket's  almost  full ;  and  if  we 
hurry,  we  shall  get  ever  so  many  before  we  go  home.  So  pick  away  as 
fast  as  you  can,  Emily. 

Emily.  There,  mine  is  full.  Now  we'll  go  and  find  some  flowers  for 
mother.  You  know  somebody  told  us  there  were  some  red  ones  close 
to  that  rock. 

Charles.  Well,  so  we  will.  We'll  leave  our  baskets  here,  and  come 
back  and  get  them. 

Emily.  But  if  we  can't  find  our  way  back,  what  shall  we  do! 

Charles.  Poh !  I  can  find  the  way  back.  I  only  want  a  quarter  to 
seven  years  old,  and  I  sha'n't  lose  myself,  I  know. 

Emily.  Well,  we've  got  flowers  enough,  and  now  I'm  tired  and  want 
to  go  home. 

Charles.  I  don't ;  but,  if  you  are  tired,  we'll  go  and  find  our  baskets. 

Emily.  Where  do  you  think  they  arc !  We've  been  looking  a  great 
while  for  them.  I  know  we  are  lost,  for  when  we  went  after  the 


REPORTS   OF    CASES.  285 

flowers  we  only  turned  once,  and  coming -back  we  have  turned  three 
tames. 

Charles.  Have  we?     Well,  never  mind,  I  guess  we  shall  find  them. 

Emily.  I'm  afraid  we  sha'n't.     Do  let's  run. 

£harlcs.  Well,  so  do.  Oh,  Emily  !  here's  a  brook,  and  I  am  sure  we 
didn't  pass  any  brook  going. 

Emily.  Oh  dear  !  we  must  be  lost.  Hark !  Charles,  didn't  you  hear 
that  dreadful  noise  just  now  1  Wasn't  it  a  bear] 

Charles.  Poh  !  I  should  love  to  see  a  bear  here.  I  guess,  if  he  should 
conic  near  me,  I  would  give  him  one  good  slap  that  would  make  him 
feel  pretty  bad.  I  could  kill  him  at  the  first  hit. 

Emily.  I  should  like  to  see  you  taking  hold  of  a  bear.  Why,  didn't 
you  know  bears  were  stronger  than  men  1  But  only  sec  how  dark  it 
grows  ;  we  sha'n't  sec  ma  to-night,  I'm  afraid. 

Charles.  So  am  I :  do  let's  run  some  more. 

Emily.  Oh,  Charles,  do  you  believe  we  shall  ever  find  the  way  out  of 
this  dreadful  long  wood! 

Charles.  Let's  scream,  and  sec  if  somebody  won't  come. 

Emily.  Well  (screaming),  ma  !  ma  ! 

Charles  (screaming  also).  Pa  !  pa ! 

Emily.  Oh  dear  !  there's  the  sun  setting.  It  will  be  dreadfully  dark 
by-and-by,  wonl  it  1 

We  have  given  enough  for  a  specimen.  The  composition, 
though  faulty  in  many  respects,  illustrates  the  point  we  had 
in  view. 

7.  INSINCERE  CONFESSION. — An  assistant  in  a  school  in- 
formed the  principal  that  she  had  some  difficulty  in  preserv- 
ing order  in  a  certain  class  composed  of  small  children.  The 
principal  accordingly  went  into  the  class,  and  something  like 
the  following  dialogue  ensued  : 

"Your  teacher  informs  me,"  said  the  principal,  "that  there 
is  not  perfect  order  in  the  class.  Now  if  you  are  satisfied 
that  there  has  not  been  order,  and  wish  to  help  me  discover 
and  correct  the  fault,  we  can  do  it  very  easily.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  3^311  do  not  wish  to  co-operate  with  me,  it  will 
be  a  little  more  difficult  for  me  to  correct  it,  and  I  must  take 
n,  different  course.  Now  I  wish  to  know,  at  the  outset,  wheth- 
er you  do  or  do  not  wish  to  help  me?" 


280  THE   TEACHER. 

A  faint  "  Yes,  sir,"  was  murmured  through  the  class. 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  to  assist  me  unless  you  really  and  hon- 
estly desire  it  yourselves ;  and  if  you  undertake  to  do  it,  you 
must  do  it  honestly.  The  first  thing  which  will  be  necessa- 
ry will  be  an  open  and  thorough  exposure  of  all  which  has 
been  wrong,  and  this,  you  know,  will  be  unpleasant.  But  I 
will  put  the  question  to  vote  by  asking  how  many  are  will- 
ing that  I  should  know,  entirely  and  fully,  all  that  they  have 
done  in  this  class  that  has  been  wrong  •"' 

Very  nearly  all  the  hands  were  raised  at  once,  promptly, 
and  the  others  were  gradually  brought  up,  though  with  more 
or  less  of  hesitation. 

"  Are  you  willing  not  only  to  tell  me  yourselves  what  you 
have  done,  but  also,  in  case  any  one  has  forgotten  something 
which  she  has  done,  that  others  should  tell  me  of  it?" 

The  hands  were  all  raised. 

After  obtaining  thus  from  the  class  a  distinct  and  univer- 
sal expression  of  willingness  that  all  the  facts  s.hould  be  made 
known,  the  principal  called  upon  all  those  who  had  any  thing 
to  state  to  raise  their  hands,  and  those  who  raised  them  had 
opportunity  to  say  what  they  wished.  A  great  number  of 
very  trifling  incidents  were  mentioned,  such  as  could  not  have 
produced  any  difficulty  in  the  class,  and,  consequently,  could 
not  have  been  the  real  instances  of  disorder  alluded  to.  Or 
at  least  it  was  evident,  if  they  were,  that  in  the  statement 
they  must  have  been  so  palliated  and  softened  that  a  really 
honest  confession  had  not  been  made.  This  result  might,  in 
such  a  case,-have  been  expected.  Such  is  human  nature,  that 
in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  unless  such  a  result  had  been  partic- 
ularly guarded  against,  it  would  have  inevitably  followed. 

Not  only  will  such  a  result  follow  in  individual  cases  like 
this,  but,  unless  the  teacher  watches  and  guards  against  it,  it 
will  grow  into  a  habit.  I  mean,  boys  will  get  a  sort  of  an 
idea  that  it  is  a  fine  thing  to  confess  their  faults,  and  by  a 
show  of  humility  and  frankness  will  deceive  their  teacher,  and 


PvEPOKTS   OF   CASES.  287 

perhaps  themselves,  by  a  sort  of  acknowledgment,  which  in 
fact  exposes  nothing  of  the  guilt  which  the  transgressgr  pro- 
fesses to  expose.  A  great  many  cases  occur  where  teachers 
are  pleased  with  the  confession  of  faults,  and  scholars  perceive 
it,  and  the  latter  get  into  the  habit  of  coming  to  the  teacher 
when  they  have  done  something  which  they  think  may  get 
them  into  difficulty,  and  make  a  sort  of  half  confession,  which, 
by  bringing  forward  every  palliating  circumstance,  and  sup- 
pressing every  thing  of  different  character,  keeps  entirely  out 
of  view  all  the  real  guilt  of  the  transgression.  The  criminal 
is  praised  by  the  teacher  for  the  frankness  and  honesty  of  the 
confession,  and  his  fault  is  freely  forgiven.  He  goes  away, 
therefore,  well  satisfied  with  himself,  when,  in  fact,  he  has  been 
only  submitting  to  a  little  mortification,  voluntarily,  to  avoid 
the  danger  of  a  greater ;  much  in  the  same  spirit  with  that 
which  leads  a  man  to  receive  the  small-pox  by  inoculation, 
to  avoid  the  danger  of  taking  it  in  the  natural  way. 

The  teacher  who  accustoms  his  pupils  to  confess  their 
faults  voluntarily  ought  to  guard  carefully  against  this  dan- 
ger. When  such  a  case  as  the  one  jus*t  described  occurs,  it 
will  afford  a  favorable  opportunity  of  showing  distinctly  to 
pupils  the  difference  between  an  honest  and  a  hypocritical 
confession.  In  this  instance  the  teacher  proceeded  thus : 

"  Now  there  is  one  more  question  which  I  wish  you  all  to 
answer  by  your  votes  honestly.  It  is  this.  Do  you  think 
that  the  real  disorder  which  has  been  in  this  class — that  is, 
the  real  cases  which  you  referred  to  when  you  stated  to  me 
that  you  thought  that  the  class  was  not  in  good  order — have 
been  now  really  exposed,  so  that  I  honestly  and  fully  under- 
stand the  case?  How  many -suppose  so?" 

Not  a  single  hand  was  raised. 

"  How  many  of  you  think,  and  arc  willing  to  avow  your 
opinion,  that  I  have  not  been  fully  informed  of  the  case  ?" 

A  large  proportion  held  up  their  hands. 

"Now  it  seems  the  class  pretended  to  be  willing  that  .1 


288  THE    TEACJ1EK. 

should  know  Jill  the  allair.  You  pretended  to  be  willing  to 
tell  mo  the  whole,  but  when  I  call  upon  you  for  the  informa- 
tion, instead  of  telling  me  honestly,  you  attempt  to  amuse 
me  by  little  trifles,  which,  in  reality  made  no  disturbance,  and 
you  omit  the  things  which  you  know  were  the  real  objects 
of  my  inquiries.  Am  I  right  in  my  supposition  ?" 

They  were  silent.  After  a  moment's  pause,  one  perhaps 
raised  her  hand,  and  began  now  to  confess  something  which 
she  had  before  concealed. 

The  teacher,  however,  interrupted  her  by  saying, 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  have  the  confession  made  now.  I  gave 
you  all  time  to  do  that,  and  now  I  should  rather  not  hear 
any  more  about  the  disorder.  I  gave  an  opportunity  to  have 
it  acknowledged,  but  it  was  not  honestly  improved,  and  now 
I  should  rather  not  hear.  I  shall  probably  never  know. 

"  I  wished  to  sec  whether  this  class  would  be  honest — 
really  honest,  or  whether  they  would  have  the  insincerity  to 
pretend  to  be  confessing  when  they  were  not  doing  so  hon- 
estly, so  as  to  get  the  credit  of  being  frank  and  sincere,  when 
in  reality  they  arc  no't  so.  Now  am  I  not  compelled  to  con- 
clude that  this  latter  is  the  case  ?" 

Such  an  example  will  make  a  deep  and  lasting  impression. 
It  will  show  that  the  teacher  is  upon  his  guard ;  and  there 
arc  very  few  so  hardened  in  deception  that  they  would  not 
wish  that  they  had  been  really  sincere  rather  than  rest  under 
ruch  an  imputation. 

8.  COURT- — A  pupil,  quite  young  (says  a  teacher),  came 
to  me  one  day  with  a  complaint  that  one  of  her  companions 
had  got  her  scat.  There  had  been  some  changes  in  the  seats 
by  my  permission,  and  probably,  from  some  inconsistency  in 
the  promises  which  I  had  made,  there  were  two  claimants 
for  the  same  desk.  The  complainant  came  to  me,  and  ap- 
pealed to  my  recollection  of  the  circumstance. 

"  I  do  not  recollect  any  thing  about  it,"  said  I. 


ItEI'ORTS    OF    CASES.  289 

"  Why,  Mr.  13. !"  replied  she,  with  astonishment. 

" No,"  said  I ;  "you  forget  that  I  have,  every  day,  arrange- 
ments, almost  without  number,  of  such  a  kind  to  make,  and 
as  soon  as  I  have  made  one  I  immediately  forget  all  about 
it." 

"  Why,  don't  you  remember  that  you  got  me  a  new  baize1?" 

"  No ;  I  ordered  a  dozen  new  baizes  at  that  time,  but  I  do 
not  remember  who  they  were  for." 

There  was  a  pause ;  the  disappointed  complainant  sccrned 
not  to  know  what  to  do. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Bring  the  case  into  court, 
and  I  Avill  try  it  regularly." 

"  Why,  Mr.  13.,  I  do  not  like  to  do  any  thing  like  that  about 
it ;  besides,  I  do  not  know  how  to  write  an  indictment." 

"  Oh,"  I  answered,  "  the  scholars  will  like  to  have  a  good 
trial,  and  this  will  make  a  new  sort  of  case.  All  our  cases 
thus  far  have  been  for  offenses — that  is  what  they  call  crim- 
inal cases — and  this  will  be  only  an  examination  of  the  con- 
llicting  claims  of  two  individuals  to  the  same  property,  and  it 
Avill  excite  a  good  deal  of  interest.  I  think  you  had  better 
bring  it  into  court." 

She  went  slowly  and  thoughtfully  to  her  scat,  and  pres- 
ently returned  with  an  indictment. 

"  Mr.  13.,  is  this  right  T' 

It  was  as  follows : 

I  accuse  Miss  A.  C.  of  coming  to  take  away  my  scat — the  one  Mr. 
B.  gave  me. 

Witnesses,  5  C'  D' 
<  E.  T. 

"Why — yes — that  will  do ;  and  yet  it  is  not  exactly  right. 
You  see  this  is  what  they  call  a  civil  case." 

"I  don't  think  it  is  very  civil," 

"  No,  I  don't  mean  it  was  civil  to  take  your  seat,  but  this 
is  not  a  case  where  a  person  is  prosecuted  for  having  done 
any  thing  wrong." 

N 


290  THE   TEACHER. 

• 

The  plaintiff  looked  a  little  perplexed,  :is  if  she  could  not 
understand  how  it  could  be  otherwise  than  wrong  for  a  girl 
to  usurp  her  seat. 

"  I  mean,  you  do  not  bring  it  into  court  as  a  case  of  wrong. 
You  do  not  want  her  to  be  punished,  do  you  T' 

"  No,  I  only  want  her  to  give  me  up  my  seat ;  I  don't 
want  her  to  be  punished." 

"  Well,  then,  you  see  that,  although  she  may  have  done 
wrong  to  take  your  scat,  it  is  not  in  that  point  of  view  that 
you  bring  it  into  court.  It  is  a  question  about  the  right  of 
property,  and  the  lawyers  call  such  cases  civil  cases,  to  distin- 
guish them  from  cases  where  persons  are  tried  for  the  purpose 
of  being  punished  for  doing  wrong.  These  last  are  called 
criminal  cases." 

The  aggrieved  party  still  looked  perplexed.  "  Well,  Mr. 
13.,"  she  continued,  "  what  shall  I  do  ?  How  shall  I  write 
it?  I  can  not  say  any  thing  about  civil  in  it,  can  I?" 

A  form  was  given  her  which  would  be  proper  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  the  case  was  brought  forward,  and  the  evidence  on 
both  sides  examined.  The  irritation  of  the  quarrel  was  soon 
dissipated  in  the  amusement  of  a  semi-serious  trial,  and  both 
parties  good-humoredly  acquiesced  in  the  decision. 

9.  TEACHERS'  PERSONAL  CHARACTER. — Much  has  been 
said  within  a  few  years,  by  writers  on  the  subject  of  educa- 
tion in  this  country,  on  the  desirableness  of  raising  the  business 
of  teaching  to  the  rank  of  a  learned  profession.  There  is  but 
one  way  of  doing  this,  and  that  is  raising  the  personal  char- 
acters and  attainments  of  the  teachers  themselves.  Whether 
an  employment  is  elevated  or  otherwise  in  public  estimation, 
depends  altogether  on  the  associations  connected  with  it  in  the 
public  mind,  and  these  depend  altogether  m on  the  characters 
of  the  individuals  who  arc  engaged  in  it.  Franklin,  by  the 
simple  fact  that  he  was  a  printer  himself,  has  done  more  to- 
ward jiiving  dignity  and  respectability  to  the  employment  of 


ItErOKTS    OF   CASES.  291 

printing,  than  a  hundred  orations  on  the  intrinsic  excellence 
of  the  art.  In  fact,  all  mechanical  employments  have,  with- 
in a  few  years,  risen  in  rank  in  this  country,  not  through  the 
influence  of  efforts  to  impress  the  community  directly  Avith  a 
sense  of  their  importance,  but  simply  because  mechanics 
themselves  have  risen  in  intellectual  and  moral  character. 
In  the  same  manner,  the  employment  of  the  teacher  Avill  be 
raised  most  effectually  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  not  by 
the  individual  who  writes  the  most  eloquent  oration  on  the 
intrinsic  dignity  of  the  art,  but  by  the  one  who  goes  forward 
most  successfully  in  the  exercise  of  it,  and  who,  by  his  gen- 
eral attainments  and  public  character,  stands  out  most  fully 
to  the  view  of  the  public  as  a  well-informed,  liberal-minded, 
and  useful  man. 

If  this  is  so — and  it  can  not  well  be  denied — it  furnishes 
to  every  teacher  a  strong  motive  to  exertion  for  the  improve- 
ment of  his  own  personal  character.  But  there  is  a  stronger 
motive  still  in  the  results  which  flow  directly  to  himself  from 
such  efforts.  No  man  ought  to  engage  in  any  business  which, 
as  mere  business,  will  engross  all  his  time  and  attention. 
The  Creator  has  bestowed  upon  every  one  a  mind,  upon  the 
cultivation  of  which  our  rank  among  intelligent  beings,  our 
happiness,  our  moral  and  intellectual  power,  every  thing  val- 
uable to  us,  depend ;  and  after  all  the  cultivation  which  we 
can  bestow,  in  this  life,  upon  this  mysterious  principle,  it  will 
still  be  in  embryo.  The  progress  which  it  is  capable  of  ma'k- 
ing  is  entirely  indefinite.  If  by  ten  years  of  cultivation  we 
can  secure  a  certain  degree  of  knowledge  and  power,  by  ten 
more  we  can  double,  or  more  than  double  it,  and  every  suc- 
ceeding year  of  effort  is  attended  with  equal  success.  There 
is  no  point  of  attainment  where  we  must  stop,  or  beyond 
which  effort  will  bring  in  a  less  valuable  return. 

Look  at  that  teacher,  and  consider  for  a  moment  his  con- 
dition, lie  began  to  teach  when  he  was  twenty  years  of 
ago,  and  now  lie  is  forty.  Between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and 


292  THE   TEACIIEK. 

twenty  he  made  a  vigorous  effort  to  acquire  such  an  educa- 
tion as  would  fit  him  for  these  duties.  lie  succeeded,  and 
by  these  efforts  he  raised  himself  from  being  a  mere  laborer, 
receiving  for  his  daily  toil  a  mere  daily  subsistence,  to  the 
respectability  and  the  comforts  of  an  intellectual  pursuit. 
But  this  change  once  produced,  he  stops  short  in  his  progress. 
Once  seated  in  his  desk,  he  is  satisfied,  and  for  twenty  years 
he  has  been  going  through  the  same  routine,  without  any  ef- 
fort to  advance  or  to  improve.  lie  does  not  reflect  that  the 
same  efforts,  which  so  essentially  altered  his  condition  and 
prospects  at  twenty,  would  have  carried  him  forward  to  high- 
er and  higher  sources  of  influence  and  enjoyment  as  long  as 
he  should  continue  them.  His  efforts  ceased  when  he  ob- 
tained a  situation  as  teacher  at  fifty  dollars  a  month,  and, 
though  twenty  years  have  glided  away,  he  is  now  exactly 
•what  he  was  then. 

There  is  probably  no  employment  whatever  which  affords 
so  favorable  an  opportunity  for  personal  improvement — for 
steady  intellectual  and  moral  progress,  as  that  of  teaching. 
There  are  two  reasons  for  this : 

First,  there  is  time  for  it.  With  an  ordinary  degree  of 
health  and  strength,  the  mind  can  be  vigorously  employed  at 
least  ten  hours  a  day.  As  much  as  this  is  required  of  stu- 
dents in  many  literary  institutions.  In  fact,  ten  hours  to 
study,  seven  to  sleep,  and  seven  to  food,  exercise,  and  recre- 
ation, is  perhaps  as  good  an  arrangement  as  can  be  made ;  at 
any  rate,  very  few  persons  will  suppose  that  such  a  plan  al- 
lows too  little  under  the  latter  head.  Now  six  hours  is  as 
much  as  is  expected  of  a  teacher  under  ordinary  circumstan- 
ces, and  it  is  as  much  as  ought  ever  to  be  bestowed;  for, 
though  he  may  labor  four  hours  out  of  school  in  some  new 
field,  his  health  and  spirits  will  soon  sink  under  the  burden, 
if,  after  his  weary  labors  during  the  day  in  school,  he  gives 
up  his  evenings  to  the  same  perplexities  and  cares.  And  it 
is  not  necessary.  No  one  who  knows  any  thing  of  the  na- 


REPORTS    OF   CASES.  293 

.~.LV,  01  me  human  mind,  and  who  will  reflect  a  moment  on 
the  subject,  can  doubt  that  a  man  can  make  a  better  school 
by  expending  six  hours  labor  upon  it  with  alacrity  and  ardor, 
than  he  can  by  driving  himself  on  to  ten.  Every  teacher, 
therefore,  who  is  commencing  his  work,  should  begin  with 
the  firm  determination  of  devoting  only  six  hours  daily  to  the 
pursuit.  Make  as  good  a  school,  and  accomplish  as  much 
for  it  as  you  can  in  six  hours,  and  let  the  rest  go.  When  you 
come  from  your  school-room  at  night,  leave  all  your  perplex- 
ities and  cares  behind  you.  No  matter  what  unfinished  busi- 
ness or  unsettled  difficulties  remain,  dismiss  them  till  an- 
other sun  shall  rise,  and  the  hour  of  duty  for  another  day 
shall  come.  Carry  no  school-work  home  with  you,  and  do 
not  even  talk  of  your  school- work  at  home.  You  will  then 
get  refreshment  and  rest.  Your  mind,  during  the  evening, 
will  be  in  a  different  world  from  that  in  which  you  have 
moved  during  the  day.  At  first  this  will  be  difficult.  It  will 
be  hard  for  you,  unless  your  mind  is  uncommonly  well  disci- 
plined, to  dismiss  all  your  cares ;  and  you  will  think,  each 
evening,  that  some  peculiar  emergency  demands  your  atten- 
tion just  at  that  time,  and  that  as  soon  as  you  have  passed  the 
crisis  you  will  confine  yourself  to  what  you  admit  are  gener- 
ally reasonable  limits;  but  if  you  once  allow  school,  with  its 
perplexities  and  cares,  to  get  possession  of  the  rest  of  the  day, 
it  will  keep  possession.  It  Avill  intrude  itself  into  all  your 
waking  thoughts,  and  trouble  you  in  your  dreams.  You  will 
lose  all  command  of  your  powers,  and,  besides  cutting  off 
from  yourself  all  hope  of  general  intellectual  progress,  you 
will,  in  fact,  destroy  your  success  as  a  teacher.  Exhaustion, 
weariness,  and  anxiety  will  be  your  continual  portion,  and  in 
silch  a  state  no  business  can  be  successfully  prosecuted. 

There  need  be  no  fear  that  employers  will  be  dissatisfied 
if  the  teacher  acts  upon  this  principle.  If  he  is  faithful,  and 
enters  with  all  his  heart  into  the  discharge  of  his  duties  du- 
ring six  hours,  there  will  be  something  in  the  ardor,  and  alac- 


294  THE   TEACHER. 

rity,  and  spirit  with  which  his  duties  will  be  performed 
which  parents  and  scholars  will  both  be  very  glad  to  receive 
in  exchange  for  the  languid,  and  dull,  and  heartless  toil  in 
which  the  other  method  must  sooner  or  later  result. 

If  the  teacher,  then,  will  confine  himself  to  such  a  portion 
of  time  as  is,  in  fact,  all  he  can  advantageously  employ,  there 
will  be  much  left  which  can  be  devoted  to  his  own  private 
employment — more  than  is  usual  in  the  other  avocations  of 
life.  In  most  of  these  other  avocations  there  is  not  the  same 
necessity  for  limiting  the  hours  which  a  man  may  devote  to 
his  business.  A  merchant,  for  example,  may  be  employed 
nearly  all  the  day  at  his  counting-room,  and  so  may  a  me- 
chanic. A  physician  may  spend  all  his  waking  hours  in  vis- 
iting patients,  and  feel  little  more  than  healthy  fatigue.  The 
reason  is,  that  in  all  these  employments,  and,  in  fact,  in  most 
of  the  employments  of  life,  there  is  so  much  to  diversify,  so 
many  little  incidents  constantly  occurring  to  animate  and  re- 
lieve, and  so  much  bodily  exercise,  which  alternates  with  and 
suspends  the  fatigues  of  the  mind,  that  the  labors  may  be 
much  longer  continued,  and  with  less  cessation,  and  yet  the 
health  not  suffer.  But  the  teacher,  while  engaged  in  his 
work,  has  his  mind  continually  on  the  stretch.  There  is 
little  relief,  little  respite,  and  he  is  almost  entirely  deprived  of 
bodily  exercise.  He  must,  consequently,  limit  his  hours  of 
attending  to  his  business,  or  his  health  will  soon  sink  under 
labors  which  Providence  never  intended  the  human  mind  to 
bear. 

There  is  another  circumstance  which  facilitates  the  prog- 
ress of  the  teacher.  It  is  a  fact  that  all  this  general  progress 
has  a  direct  and  immediate  bearing  upon  his  pursuits.  A 
lawyer  may  read  in  an  evening  an  interesting  book  of  travels, 
and  find  nothing  to  help  him  with  his  case,  the  next  day,  in, 
court ;  but  almost  every  fact  which  the  teacher  thus  learns 
will  come  at  once  into  iise  in  some  of  his  recitations  at  school. 


REPORTS    OF   CASES. 


295 


We  do  not  mean  to  imply  by  this  that  the  members  of  the 
legal  profession  have  not  need  of  a  great  variety  and  extent 
of  knowledge ;  they  doubtless  have.  It  is  simply  in  the  di- 
rectness and  certainty  with  which  the  teacher's  knowledge  may 
be  applied  to  his  purpose  that  the  business  of  teaching  has 
the  advantage  over  every  other  pursuit. 

This  fact,  now,  has  a  very  important  influence  in  encoura- 
ging and  leading  forward  the  teacher  to  make  constant  intel- 
lectual progress,  for  every  step  brings  at  once  a  direct  reward. 

10.  THE  CHESTNUT  BURR. — A  story  for  school-boys. — One 
fine  Saturday  afternoon,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  master 
was  taking  a  walk  in  the  woods,  and 
he  came  to  a  place  where  a  number  of 
boys  were  gathering  chestnuts. 

One  of  the  boys  was  sitting  upon  a 
:£:  j  bank  trying  to  open  some  chestnut  burrs 
which  he  had  knocked  olFfrom  the  tree. 
The  burrs  were  green,  and  he  was  at- 
tempting to  open   them  by  pounding 
,  them  with  a  stone. 

He  was  a  very  impatient 
f,  and  was  scolding  in  a 


THE   TEACHEE. 

loud,  angry  tone  against  the  burrs.  lie  did  not  see,  he  said, 
what  in  the  world  chestnuts  were  made  to  grow  so  for. 
They  ought  to  grow  right  out  in  the  open  air,  like  apples, 
and  not  have  such  vile  porcupine  skins  on  them,  just  to 
plague  the  boys.  So  saying,  he  struck  with  all  his  might 
a  fine  large  burr,  crushed  it  to  pieces,  and  then  jumped  up, 
using  at  the  same  time  profane  and  wicked  words.  As  soon 
as  he  turned  round  he  saw  the  master  standing  very  near 
him.  He  felt  very  much  ashamed  and  afraid,  and  hung  down 
•his  head. 

"Roger,"  said  the  master  (for  this  boy's  name  was  Eogcr), 
" can  you  get  me  a  chestnut  burr?" 

lloger  looked  up  for  a  moment  to  see  whether  the  master 
was  in  earnest,  and  then  began  to  look  around  for  a  burr. 

A  boy  who  was  standing  near  the  tree,  with  a  red  cap  full 
of  burrs  in  his  hand,  held  out  one  of  them.  Eoger  took  the 
burr  and  handed  it  to  the  master,  who  quietly  put  it  into  his 
pocket,  and  walked  away  without  saying  a  word. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  the  boy  with  the  red  cap  said  to 
lloger,  "  I  expected  that  the  master  would  have  given  you  a 
good  scolding  for  talking  so." 

"  The  master  never  scolds,"  said  another  boy,  who  was 
sitting  on  a  log  pretty  near,  \vith  a  green  satchel  in  his  hand, 
"  but  you  see  if  he  docs  not  remember  it."  Eoger  looked  as 
if  he  did  not  know  what  to  think  about  it. 

"I  wish,"  said  he,  "I  knew  what  he  is  going  to  do  with 
that  burr." 

That  afternoon,  when  the  lessons  had  been  all  recited,  and 
it  was  about  time  to  dismiss  the  school,  the  boys  put  away 
their  books,  and  the  master  read  a  few  verses  in  the  Bible, 
and  then  offered  a  prayer,  in  which  he  asked  God  to  forgive 
all  the  sins  which  any  of  them  had  committed  that  day,  and 
to  take  care  of  them  during  the  night.  After  this  he  asked 
the  boys  all  to  sit  down.  He  then  took  his  handkerchief  out 
of  his  pocket  and  laid  it  on  the  desk,  and  afterward  he  put 


KEPOETS   OF   CASKS.  297 

his  hand  into  his  pocket  again,  and  took  out  the  chestnut 
burr,  and  all  the  boys  looked  at  it. 

"Boys,"  said  he,  "do  you  know  what  this  is?" 

One  of  the  boys  in  the  back  seat  said,  in  a  half  whisper, 
"  It  is  nothing  but  a  chestnut  burr." 

"  Lucy,"  said  the  master  to  a  bright-eyed  little  girl  near 
him,  "  what  is  this  ?" 

"It  is  a  chestnut  burr,  sir,"  said  she. 

"Do  you  know  what  it  is  for?" 

"  I  suppose  there  are  chestnuts  in  it." 

"  But  what  is  this  rough,  prickly  covering  for  ?" 

Lucy  did  not  know. 

"Does  any  body  here  know?"  said  the  master. 

One  of  the  boys  said  that  he  supposed  it  was  to  hold  the 
chestnuts  together,  and  keep  them  up  on  the  tree. 

"  But  I  heard  a  boy  say,"  replied  the  master,  "  that  they 
ought  not  to  be  made  to  grow  so.  The  nut  itself,  he  thought, 
ought  to  hang  alone  on  the  branches,  without  any  prickly 
covering,  just  as  apples  do." 

"But  the  nuts  themselves  have  no  stems  to  be  fastened 
by,"  answered  the  same  boy. 

"  That  is  true ;  but  I  suppose  this  boy  thought  that  God 
could  have  made  them  grow  with  stems,  and  that  this  would 
have  been  better  than  to  have  them  in  burrs." 

After  a  little  pause  the  master  said  that  he  would  explain 
to  them  what  the  chestnut  burr  was  for,  and  wished  them  all 
to  listen  attentively. 

"How  much  of  the  chestnut  is  good  to  cat,  William?" 
asked  he,  looking  at  a  boy  before  him. 

"  Only  the  meat." 

"  How  long  does  it  take  the  meat  to  grow?" 

"All  summer,  I  suppose,  it  is  growing." 

"Yes  ;  it  begins  early  in  the  summer,  and  gradually  swells 
and  grows  until  it  has  become  of  full  size,  and  is  ripe,  in  the 
fall.  Now  suppose  there  was  a  tree  out  here  near  the  school- 

N2 


298  TIIK    TEACHER. 

house,  and  the  chestnut  meats  should  grow  upon  it  without 
any  shell  or  covering ;  suppose,  too,  that  they  should  taste 
like  good  ripe  chestnuts  at  first,  when  they  were  very  small. 
Do  you  think  they  would  be  safe1?" 

William  said  "  No ;  the  boys  would  pick  and  eat  them  be- 
fore they  had  time  to  grow." 

"  Well,  what  harm  would  there  be  in  that?  Would  it  not 
be  as  well  to  have  the  chestnuts  early  in  the  summer  as  to 
have  them  in  the  fall?" 

William  hesitated.  Another  toy  who  sat  next  to  him 
said, 

"  There  would  not  be  so  much  meat  in  the  chestnuts  if 
they  were  eaten  before  they  had  time  to  grow." 

"Right,"  said  the  master;  "but  would  not  the  boys  know 
this,  and  so  all  agree  to  let  the  little  chestnuts  stay,  and  not 
cat  them  while  they  were  small  ?" 

William  said  he  thought  they  would  not  If  the  chest- 
nuts were  good,  he  was  afraid  they  would  pick  them  off  and 
cat  them  if  they  were  small. 

All  the  rest  of  the  boys  in  the  school  thought  so  too. 

"Here,  then,"  said  the  master,  "is  one  reason  for  having 
prickles  around  the  chestnuts  when  they  ai'e  small.  But  then 
it  is  not  necessary  to  have  all  chestnuts  guarded  from  boys  in 
this  way ;  a  great  many  of  the  trees  are  in  the  woods,  which 
the  boys  do  not  see ;  what  good  do  the  burrs  do  in  these 
trees  ?" 

The  boys  hesitated.  Presently  the  boy  who  had  the  green 
satchel  under  the  tree  with  Roger,  who  Avas  sitting  in  one 
corner  of  the  room,  said, 

"  I  should  think  they  would  keep  the  squirrels  from  eating 
them. 

"And  besides,"  continued  he,  after  thinking  a  moment, 
"  I  should  suppose,  if  the  meat  of  the  chestnut  had  no  cover- 
ing, the  rain  would  wet  it  and  make  it  rot,  or  the  sun  might 
dry  and  wither  it." 


PURPORTS    OP    CASES.  299 

"  Yes,"  said  the  master,  "  these  are  very  good  reasons  why 
the  nut  should  be  carefully  guarded.  First  the  meats  are 
packed  away  in  a  hard  brown  shell,  which  the  water  can  not 
get  through  ;  this  keeps  it  diy,  and  away  from  dust  and  oth- 
er things  which  might  injure  it.  Then  several  mits  thus  pro- 
tected grow  closely  together  inside  this  green,  prickly  cover- 
ing, which  spreads  over  them  and  guards  them  from  the 
larger  animals  and  the  boys.  Where  the  chestnut  gets  its 
full  growth  and  is  ripe,  this  covering,  you  know,  splits  open, 
and  the  nuts  drop  out,  and  then  any  body  can  get  them  and 
eat  them." 

The  boys  were  then  all  satisfied  that  it  was  better  that 
chestnuts  should  grow  in  burrs. 

"  But  why,"  asked  one  of  the  boys,  "  do  not  apples  grow 
so?" 

"Can  any  body  answer  that  question?"  asked  the  master. 

The  boy  with  the  green  satchel  said  that  apples  had  a 
smooth,  tight  skin,  which  kept  out  the  wet,  but  he  did  not  sec 
how  they  were  guarded  from  animals. 

The  master  said  it  was  by  their  taste.  "  They  arc  hard 
and  sour  before  they  are  full  grown,  and  so  the  taste  is  not 
pleasant,  and  nobody  wishes  to  eat  them,  except  sometimes  a 
few  foolish  boys,  and  these  are  punished  by  being  made  sick. 
When  the  apples  arc  full  grown,  they  change  from  sour  to 
sweet,  and  become  mellow — then  they  can  be  eaten.  Can 
you  tell  me  of  any  other  fruits  which  arc  preserved  in  this 
way  ?" 

One  boy  answered,  "Strawberries  and  blackberries;"  and 
another  said,  "  Peaches  and  pears." 

Another  boy  asked  why  the  peach-stone  was  not  outsido 
the  peach,  so  as  to  keep  it  from  being  eaten ;  but  the  master 
said  that  he  would  explain  this  another  time.  Then  he  dis- 
missed the  scholars,  after  asking  Roger  to  wait  until  the  rest 
had  gone,  as  he  wished  to  sec  him  alone. 

Several  of  the  articles  which  follow  were  eomiminicatcd 


300  TIIK    TEACIIEK. 

for  this  work  by  different  teachers,  at  the  request  of  the  air 
thor. 

11.  THE  SERIES  OP  WIUTIKG  LESSOXS. — Very  many  pu- 
pils soon  become  weary  of  the  dull  and  monotonous  business 
of  writing,  unless  some  plans  are  devised  to  give  interest  and 
variety  to  the  exercise ;  and,  on  this  account,  this  branch  of 
education,  in  which  improvement  may  be  most  rapid,  is  oft- 
en the  last  and  most  tedious  to  be  acquired. 

A  teacher,  by  adopting  the  following  plan,  succeeded  in 
awakening  a  great  degree  of  interest  on  the  subject,  and,  con- 
sequently, of  promoting  rapid  improvement.  The  plan  was 
this :  he  prepared,  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  a  series  of  les- 
sons in  coarse-hand,  beginning  with  straight  lines,  and  pro- 
ceeding to  the  elementary  parts  of  the  various  letters,  and 
finally  to  the  letters  themselves.  This  paper  was  posted  up 
in  a  part  of  the  room  accessible  to  all. 

The  writing-books  were  made  of  three  sheets  of  fools- 
cap paper,  folded  into  a  convenient  size,  making  twenty-four 
pages  in  the  book.  The  books  Averc  to  be  ruled  by  the  pupil, 
for  it  was  thought  important  that  each  should  learn  this  art. 
Every  pupil  in  school,  then,  being  furnished  with  one  of  these 
writing-books,  was  required  to  commence  this  series,  and  to 
practice  each  lesson  until  he  could  write  it  well ;  then,  and 
not  till  then,  he  was  permitted  to  pass  to  the  next.  A  few 
brief  directions  were  given  under  each  lesson  on  the  large 
sheet.  For  example,  under  the  line  of  straight  marks,  which 
constituted  the  first  lesson,  was  written  as  follows: 

Straight,  equidistant,  parallel,  smooth,  well-terminated. 

These  directions  were  to  call  the  attention  of  the  pupil  to 
the  excellences  which  he  must  aim  at,  and  when  he  supposed 
he  had  secured  them,  his  book  was  to  be  presented  to  the 
teacher  for  examination.  If  approved,  the  word  Passed,  or, 
afterward,  simply  P.,  was  written  under  the  line,  and  he  could 


KETORTS    OF   CASES.  301 

then  proceed  to  the  next  lesson.  Other  requisites  were  nec- 
essary, besides  the  correct  formation  of  the  letters,  to  enable 
one  to  pass ;  for  example,  the  page  must  not  be  soiled  or  blot- 
ted, no  paper  must  be  wasted,  and,  in  no  case,  a  leaf  torn  out. 
As  soon  as  one  line  was  written  in  the  manner  required,  the 
scholar  was  allowed  to  pass.  In  a  majority  of  cases,  how- 
ever, not  less  than  a  page  would  be  practiced,  and  in  many 
instances  a  sheet  would  be  covered,  before  one  line  could  be 
produced  which  would  be  approved. 

One  peculiar  excellency  of  this  method  was,  that  although 
the  whole  school  were  working  under  a  regular  and  system- 
atic plan,  individuals  could  go  on  independently  ;  that  is,  the 
progress  of  no  scholar  was  retarded  by  that  of  his  compan- 
ion ;  the  one  more  advanced  might  easily  pass  the  earlier  les- 
sons in  a  few  days,  while  the  others  would  require  weeks  of 
practice  to  acquire  the  same  degree  of  skill. 

During  the  writing-hour  the  scholars  would  practice  each 
at  the  lesson  where  he  left  off  before,  and  at  a  particular 
time  each  day  the  books  were  brought  from  the  regular  place 
of  deposit  and  laid  before  the  teacher  for  examination. 
Without  some  arrangement  for  an  examination  of  all  the 
books  together,  the  teacher  would  be  liable  to  interruption  at 
any  time  from  individual  questions  and  requests,  which  would 
consume  much  time,  and  benefit  only  a  few. 

AVhen  a  page  of  writing  could  not  pass,  a  brief  remark, 
calling  the  attention  of  the  pupil  to  the  faults  which  prevent- 
ed it,  was  sometimes  made  in  pencil  at  the  bottom  of  the 
page.  In  other  cases,  the  fault  was  of  such  a  character  as 
to  require  full  and  minute  oral  directions  to  the  pupil.  At 
last,  to  facilitate  the  criticism  of  the  writing,  a  set  of  arbi- 
trary marks,  indicative  of  the  various  faults,  was  devised  and 
applied,  as  occasion  might  require,  to  the  writing-books,  by 
means  of  red  ink. 

These  marks,  which  were  very  simple  in  their  character, 
were  easily  remembered,  for  there  was  generally  some  con- 


302  THE   TEACHER. 

ncction  between  the  sign  and  the  thing  signified.  For  ex- 
ample, the  mark  denoting  that  letters  were  too  short  was 
simply  lengthening  them  in  red  ink ;  a  faulty  curve  was  de- 
noted by  making  a  new  curve  over  the  old  one,  &c.  The 
following  are  the  principal  criticisms  and  directions  for  which 
marks  were  contrived: 

Strokes  rough.  Too  tall  or  too  short. 

Curve  wrong.  Stems  not  straight. 

Bad  termination.  Careless  work. 

Too  slanting,  and  the  reverse.  Paper  wasted. 

Too  broad,  and  the  reverse.  Almost  well  enough  to  pass. 

Not  parallel.  Bring  your  book  to  the  teacher. 

Form  of  the  letter  bad.  Former  fault  not  corrected. 
Large  stroke  made  too  fine,  and 
the  reverse. 

A  catalogue  of  these  marks,  with  an  explanation,  was  made 
out  and  placed  where  it  was  accessible  to  all,  and  by  means 
of  them  the  books  could  be  very  easily  and  rapidly,  but  thor- 
oughly criticised. 

After  the  plan  had  gone  on  for  some  time,  and  its  opera- 
tion was  fully  understood,  the  teacher  gave  up  the  business 
of  examining  the  books  into  the  hands  of  a  committee,  ap- 
pointed by  him  from  among  the  older  and  more  advanced  pu- 
pils. That  the  committee  might  be  unbiased  in  their  judg- 
ment, they  were  required  to  examine  and  decide  upon  the 
books  without  knowing  the  names  of  the  writers.  Each 
scholar  was,  indeed,  required  to  place  her  name  on  the  right 
hand  upper  corner  of  every  page  of  her  writing-book,  for  the 
convenience  of  the  distributors ;  but  this  corner  was  turned 
down  when  the  book  was  brought  in,  that  it  might  not  be 
seen  by  the  committee. 

This  committee  was  invested  with  plenary  powers,  and 
there  was  no  appeal  from  their  decision.  In  case  they  exer- 
cised their  authority  in  an  improper  way,  or  failed  on  any  ac- 
count to  give  satisfaction,  they  were  liable  to  impeachment,  but 
while  they  continued  in  office  they  were  to  be  strictly  obeyed. 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  303 

This  plan  went  on  successfully  for  three  months,  and  with 
very  little  diminution  of  interest.  The  whole  school  went 
regularly  through  the  lessons  in  coarse-hand,  and  afterward 
through  a  similar  series  in  line-hand,  and  improvement  in 
this  branch  was  thought  to  be  greater  than  at  any  former 
period  in  the  same  length  of  time. 

The  same  principle  of  arranging  the  several  steps  of  an  art 
or  a  study  into  a  scries  of  lessons,  and  requiring  the  pupil  to 
pass  regularly  from  one  to  the  other,  might  easily  be  applied 
to  other  studies,  and  would  afford  an  agreeable  variety. 

12.  THE  CORRESPONDENCE. — A  master  of  a  district  school 
was  walking  through  the  room  with  a  large  rule  in  his  hands, 
and  as  he  came  up  behind  two  small  boys,  he  observed  that 
they  were  playing  with  some  papers.  He  struck  them  once 
or  twice,  though  not  very  severely,  on  the  head  with  the  rule 
which  he  had  in  his  hand.  Tears  started  from  the  eyes  of 
one.  They  were  called  forth  by  a  mingled  feeling  of  grief, 
mortification,  and  pain.  The  other,  who  was  of  "sterner 
stuff,"  looked  steadily  into  the  master's  face,  and  when  his 
back  was  turned,  shook  his  fist  at  him  arid  laughed  in  defi- 
ance. 

Another  teacher,  seeing  a  similar  case,  did  nothing.  The 
boys,  when  they  saw  him,  hastily  gathered  up  their  play- 
things and  put  them  away.  An  hour  or  two  after,  a  little 
boy,  who  sat  near  the  master,  brought  them  a  note  address- 
ed to  them  both.  They  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows : 

"  To  EDWARD  AND  JOHN, — I  observed,  when  I  passed  you  to-day,  from 
your  concerned  looks,  and  your  hurried  manner  of  putting  something 
into  your  desk,  that  you  were  doing  something  that  you  knew  was 
wrong.  When  you  attempt  to  do  any  thing  whatever  which  con- 
science tells  you  is  wrong,  you  only  make  yourself  uneasy  and  anxious 
while  you  do  it,  and  then  you  arc  forced  to  resort  to  concealment  and 
deception  when  you  see  me  coming.  You  would  be  a  great  deal  hap- 
pier if  you  would  always  be  doing  your  duty,  and  then  you  would  nev- 
er be  afraid.  Your  affectionate  teacher, ." 


304  THE   TEACHER. 

As  the  teacher  was  arranging  his  papers  in  his  desk  at  the 
close  of  school,  he  found  a  small  piece  of  paper  neatly  folded 
up  in  the  form  of  a  note,  and  addressed  to  him.  lie  read  as 
follows : 

"  DEAU  TEACHER, — We  arc  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  writing  us 
a  note.     We  were  making  a  paper  box.     We  know  it  was  wrong,  and 
are  determined  not  to  do  so  any  more.     We  hope  you  will  forgive  us. 
"  Your  pupils,  EDWARD, 

JOHN." 

Which  of  these  teachers  understood  human  nature  best  ? 

13.  WEEKLY  REPORTS. — The  plan  described  by  the  follow- 
ing article,  which  was  furnished  by  a  teacher  for  insertion 
here,  was  originally  adopted,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  a  school  on 
the  Kennebec.  I  have  adopted  it  with  great  advantage. 

A  teacher  had  one  day  been  speaking  to  her  scholars  of 
certain  cases  of  slight  disorder  in  the  school,  which,  she  re- 
marked, had  been  gradually  creeping  in,  and  which,  as  she 
thought,  it  devolved  upon  the  scholars,  by  systematic  efforts, 
to  repress.  She  enumerated  instances  of  disorder  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  rooms,  leaving  the  benches  out  of  their 
places,  throwing  waste  papers  upon  the  floor,  having  the 
desk  in  disorder  inside,  spilling  water  upon  the  entry  floor, 
irregular  deportment,  such  as  too  loud  talking  or  laughing 
in  recess,  or  in  the  intermission  at  noon,  or  when  coming  to 
school,  and  making  unnecessary  noise  in  going  to  or  return- 
ing from  recitations. 

"I  have  a  plan  to  propose,"  said  the  teacher,  "which  I 
think  may  be  the  plcasantest  way  of  promoting  a  reform  in 
things  of  this  kind.  It  is  this.  Let  several  of  your  number 
be  chosen  a  committee  to  prepare  statedly — perhaps  as  often 
as  once  a  week — a  written  report  of  the  state  of  the  school. 
The  report  might  be  read  before  the  school  at  the  close  of 
each  week.  The  committee  might  consist,  in  the  whole,  of 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  305 

seven  or  eight,  or  even  of  eleven  or  twelve  individuals,  who 
should  take  the  whole  business  into  their  hands.  This  com- 
mittee might  appoint  individuals  of  their  number  to  write 
in  turn  each  week.  By  this  arrangement,  it  would  not  be 
known  to  the  school  generally  who  are  the  writers  of  any 
particular  report,  if  the  individuals  wish  to  be  anonymous. 
Two  individuals  might  be  appointed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
week,  who  should  feel  it  their  business  to  observe  particularly 
the  course  of  things  from  day  to  day  with  reference  to  the  re- 
port. Individuals  not  members  of  the  committee  can  render 
assistance  by  any  suggestions  they  may  present  to  this  com- 
mittee. These  should,  however,  generally  be  made  in  writing. 

"  Subjects  for  such  a  report  will  be  found  to  suggest  them- 
selves very  abundantly,  though  you  may  not  perhaps  think 
so  at  first.  The  committee  may  be  empowered  not  only  to 
state  the  particulars  in  which  things  are  going  wrong,  but 
the  methods  by  which  they  may  be  made  right.  Let  them 
present  us  with  any  suggestions  they  please.  If  we  do  not 
like  them,  we  are  not  obliged  to  adopt  them.  For  instance, 
it  is  generally  the  case,  whenever  a  recitation  is  attended  in 
the  corner  yonder,  that  an  end  of  one  of  the  benches  is  put 
against  the  door,  so  as  to  occasion  a  serious  interruption  to 
the  exercises  when  a  person  wishes  to  come  in  or  go  out.  It 
would  come  within  the  province  of  the  committee  to  attend 
to  such  a  case  as  this,  that  is,  to  bring  it  up  in  the  report. 
The  remedy  in  such  a  case  is  a  very  simple  one.  Suppose, 
however,  that  instead  of  the  simple  remedy,  our  committee 
should  propose  that  the  classes  reciting  in  the  said  corner 
should  be  dissolved  and  the  studies  abolished?  We  should 
know  the  proposal  was  an  absurd  one,  but  then  it  would  do 
no  hurt ;  we  should  have  only  to  reject  it. 

"  Again,  besides  our  faults,  let  our  committee  notice  the 
respects  in  which  we  are  doing  particularly  well,  that  we  may 
be  encouraged  to  go  on  doing  well,  or  even  to  do  better.  If 
they  think,  for  example,  that  we  arc  deserving  of  credit  for 


306  THE   TEACHER. 

the  neatness  with  which  books  are  kept — for  their  freedom 
from  blots,  or  scribblings,  or  dog's-ears,  by  which  school-books 
are  so  commonly  defaced,  let  them  tell  us  so.  And  the  same 
of  any  other  excellence." 

With  the  plan  as  thus  presented,  the  scholars  were  very 
much  pleased.  It  was  proposed  by  one  individual  that  such 
a  committee  should  be  appointed  immediately,  and  a  report 
prepared  for  the  ensuing  week.  This  was  done.  The  com- 
mittee were  chosen  by  ballot.  The  following  may  be  taken 
as  a  specimen  of  their  reports : 

WEEKLY  REPOHT. 

"  The  Committee  appointed  to  write  the  weekly  report  have  noticed 
several  things  which  they  think  wrong.  In  the  first  place,  there  have 
been  a  greater  number  of  tardy  scholars  during  the  past  week  than 
usual.  Much  of  this  tardiness,  we  suppose,  is  owing  to  the  interest  felt 
in  building  the  bower ;  but  we  think  this  business  ought  to  be  attend- 
ed to  only  in  play-hours.  If  only  one  or  two  come  in  late  when  we  are 
reading  in  the  morning,  or  after  we  have  composed  ourselves  to  study 
at  the  close  of  the  recess,  every  scholar  must  look  up  from  her  book — 
we  do  not  say  they  ought  to  do  so,  but  only  that  they  will  do  so.  How- 
ever, we  anticipate  an  improvement  in  this  respect,  as  we  know  '  a  word 
to  the  wise  is  sufficient.' 

"  In  the  two  back  rows  we  are  sorry  to  say  that  we  have  noticed  whis- 
pering. We  know  that  this  fact  will  very  much  distress  our  teacher, 
as  she  expects  assistance,  and  not  trouble,  from  our  older  scholars.  It 
is  not  our  business  to  reprove  any  one's  misconduct,  but  it  is  our  duty 
to  mention  it,  however  disagreeable  it  may  be.  We  think  the  younger 
scholars,  during  the  past  week,  have  much  improved  in  this  respect. 
Only  three  cases  of  whispering  among  them  have  occurred  to  our 
knowledge. 

"  We  remember  some  remarks  made  a  few  weeks  ago  by  our  teach- 
er on  the  practice  of  prompting  each  other  in  the  classes.  We  wish 
she  would  repeat  them,  for  we  fear  that,  by  some,  they  are  forgotten. 
In  the  class  in  Geography,  particularly  in  the  questions  on  the  map,  we 
have  noticed  sly  whispers,  which,  we  suppose,  were  the  hints  of  some 
kind  friend  designed  to  refresh  the  memory  of  her  less  attentive  com- 
panion. We  propose  that  the  following  question  be  now  put  to  vote. 
Shall  the  practice  of  prompting  in  the  classes  be  any  longer  continued? 


REPORTS   OP   CASES.  307 

"  We  would  propose  that  we  have  a  composition  exercise  this  week 
similar  to  the  one  on  Thursday  last.  It  was  very  interesting,  and  we 
think  all  would  be  willing  to  try  their  thinking  powers  once  more.  We 
would  propose,  also,  that  the  readers  of  the  compositions  should  sit  near 
the  centre  of  the  room,  as  last  week  many  fine  sentences  escaped  the 
cars  of  those  seated  in  the  remote  corners. 

"  We  were  requested  by  a  very  public-spirited  individual  to  mention 
once  more  the  want  of  three  nails,  for  bonnets,  in  the  entry.  Also,  to 
say  that  the  air  from  the  broken  pane  cf  glass  on  the  east  side  of  the 
room  is  very  unpleasant  to  those  who  sit  near. 

"  Proposed  that  the  girls  who  exhibited  so  much  taste  and  ingenuity 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  festoons  of  evergreen,  and  tumblers  of  flowers 
around  the  teacher's  desk,  be  now  requested  to  remove  the  faded  roses 
and  drooping  violets.  We  have  gazed  on  these  sad  emblems  long 
enough. 

"  Finally,  proposed  that  greater  care  be  taken  by  those  who  stay  at 
noon  to  place  their  dinner-baskets  in  proper  places.  The  contents  of 
more  than  one  were  partly  strewed  upon  the  entry  floor  this  morning." 

If  such  a  measure  as  this  is  adopted,  it  should  not  be  con- 
tinued uninterrupted  for  a  very  long  time.  Every  thing  of 
this  sort  should  Lc  occasionally  changed,  or  it  sooner  or  later 
becomes  only  a  form. 

14.  THE  SHOPPING  EXERCISE. — I  have  often,  when  going 
a  shopping,  found  difficulty  and  trouble  in  making  change. 
I  could  never  calculate  very,  readily,  and  in  the  hurry  and 
perplexity  of  the  moment  I  was  always  making  mistakes.  I 
have  heard  others  often  make  the  same  complaint,  and  I  re- 
solved to  try  the  experiment  of  regularly  teaching  children  to 
make  change.  I  had  a  bright  little  class  in  Arithmetic,  the 
members  of  which  were  always  ready  to  engage  with  inter- 
est in  any  thing  new,  and  to  them  I  proposed  my  plan.  It 
was  to  be  called  the  Shopping  Exercise.  I  first  requested 
each  individual  to  write  something  upon  her  slate  which  she 
would  like  to  buy,  if  she  was  going  a  shopping,  slating  the 
quantity  she  Avished  and  the  price  of  it.  To  make  the  first 
lesson  as  simple  as  possible,  I  requested  no  one  to  go  above 


308  THE   TEACHER. 

ten,  either  in  the  quantity  or  price.  When  all  were  ready, 
I  called  upon  some  to  read  what  she  had  written.  Her  next 
neighbor  was  then  requested  to  tell  us  how  much  the  pur' 
chase  would  amount  to.  Then  the  first  one  named  a  bill, 
which  she  supposed  to  be  offered  in  payment,  and  the  second 
showed  what  change  was  needed.  A  short  specimen  of  the 
exercise  will  probably  make  it  clearer  than  mere  description. 

Mary.  Eight  ounces  of  candy  at  seven  cents. 
Susan.  Fifty-six  cents. 
Mary.  One  dollar. 
Susan.  Forty-four  cents. 

Susan.  Nine  yards  of  lace  at  eight  cents. 

Anna.  Seventy-two  cents. 

Susan.  Two  dollars. 

Anna.  One  dollar  and  twenty-eight  cents. 

Anna.  Three  pieces  of  tape  at  five  cents. 

Jane.  Fifteen  cents. 

Anna.  Three  dollars. 

Jane.  Eighty-five  cents. 

Several  voices.  Wrong. 

Jane.  Two  dollars  and  eighty-five  cents. 

Jane.  Six  pictures  at  eight  cents. 
Sarah.  Forty-two  cents. 
Several  voices.  Wrong. 
Sarah.  Forty-eight  cents. 
Jane.  One  dollar. 
Sarah.  Sixty-two  cents. 
Several  voices.  Wrong. 
Sarah.  Fifty-two  cents. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  same  individual  who  names 
the  article  and  the  price  names  also  the  bill  which  she  would 
give  in  payment ;  and  the  one  who  sits  next  her,  who  calcu- 
lated the  amount,  calculated  also  the  change  to  be  returned. 
She  then  proposed  /icr  example  to  the  one  next  in  the  line, 
with  whom  the  same  course  was  pursued,  and  thus  it  passed 
down  the  class. 


REPORTS   OF   CASES. 

The  exercise  went  on  for  some  time  in  this  way,  till  the 
pupils  had  become  so  familiar  with  it  that  I  thought  it  best 
to  allow  them  to  take  higher  numbers.  They  were  ahvays 
interested  in  it,  and  made  great  improvement  in  a,  short  time, 
and  I  myself  derived  great  advantage  from  listening  to  them. 

There  is  one  more  circumstance  I  will  add  which  may 
contribute  to  the  interest  of  this  account.  While  the  class 
were  confined,  in  what  they  purchased,  to  the  number  ten, 
they  were  sometimes  inclined  to  turn  the  exercise  into  a  frol- 
ic. The  variety  of  articles  which  they  could  find  costing  less 
than  ten  cents  was  so  small,  that,  for  the  sake  of  getting 
something  new,  they  would  propose  examples  really  ludi- 
crous, such  as  these:  three  meeting-houses  at  two  cents; 
four  pianos  at  nine  cents.  But  I  soon  found  that  if  I  allow- 
ed this  at  all,  their  attention  was  diverted  from  the  main  ob- 
ject, and  occupied  in  seeking  the  most  diverting  and  curious 
examples. 

15.  ARTIFICES  IN  RECITATIONS. — The  teacher  of  a  small 
newly-established  school  had  all  of  his  scholars  classed  to- 
gether in  some  of  their  studies.  At  recitations  he  usually 
sat  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  while  the  scholars  occupied 
the  usual  places  at  their  desks,  Avhich  were  arranged  around 
the  sides.  In  the  recitation  in  Rhetoric,  the  teacher,  after  a, 
time,  observed  that  one  or  two  of  the  class  seldom  answered 
appropriately  the  questions  which  came  to  them,  but  yet 
were  always  ready  with  some  kind  of  answer — generally  an 
exact  quotation  of  the  words  of  the  book.  Upon  noticing 
these  individuals  more  particularly,  he  was  convinced  that 
their  books  were  open  before  them  in  some  concealed  situa- 
tion. Another  practice  not  uncommon  in  the  class  was  that 
of  prompting  each  other,  cither  by  whispers  or  writing.  The 
teacher  took  no  notice  publicly  of  these  practices  for  some 
time,  until,  at  the  close  of  an  uncommonly  good  recitation,  he 
remarked,  "  I  think  we  have  had  a  fine  recitation  to-day. 


S10  THE  TEACHEK. 

It  is  one  of  the  meet  agreeable  things  that  J  ever  do  to  hoar 
a  lesson  that  is  learned  as  well  as  this.  Do  you  think  it 
would  be  possible  for  us  to  have  as  good  an  exercise  every 
day  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  answered  several,  faintly.  "  Do  you 
think  it  would  be  reasonable  for  me  to  expect  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  class  that  she  should  always  be  able  to  recite  all 
her  lessons  without  ever  missing  a  single  question?"  "No, 
.sir,"  answered  all.  "  I  do  not  expect  it,"  said  the  teacher. 
"All  I  wish  is  that  each  of  you  should  be  faithful  in  your 
efforts  to  prepare  your  lessons.  I  wish  you  to  study  from  a 
sense  of  duty,  and  for  the  sake  of  your  own  improvement. 
You  know  I  do  not  punish  you  for  failures.  I  have  no  going 
up  or  down,  no  system  of  marking.  Your  only  reward,  when 
you  have  made  faithful  preparation  for  a  recitation,  is  the 
feeling  of  satisfaction  which  you  will  always  experience  ;  and 
when  you  have  been  negligent,  your  only  punishment  is  a  sort 
of  uneasy  feeling  of  self-reproach.  I  do  not  expect  you  all  to 
be  invariably  prepared  with  every  question  of  your  lessons. 
Sometimes  you  will  be  unavoidably  prevented  from  studying 
them,  and  at  other  times,  when  you  have  studied  them  very 
carefully,  you  may  have  forgotten,  or  you  may  fail  from  some 
misapprehension  of  the  meaning  in  some  cases.  Do  not,  in 
such  a  case,  feel  troubled  because  you  may  not  have  ap- 
peared as  Avcll  as  some  individual  who  has  not  been  half  r.s 
faithful  as  yourself.  If  you  have  done  your  duty,  that  is 
enough.  On  the  other  hand,  you  ought  to  feel  no  better  sat- 
isfied with  yourselves  when  your  lesson  has  not  been  studied 
well,  because  you  may  have  happened  to  know  the  parts 
which  came  to  you.  Have  I  done  well  ?  should  always  be 
the  question,  not,  Have  I  managed  to  appear  well  ? 

"I  will  say  a  word  here,"  continued  the  teacher,  "  upon 
a  practice  which  I  have  known  to  be  very  common  in  some 
schools,  and  which  I  have  been  sorry  to  notice  occasionally 
in  this.  I  mean  that  of  prompting,  or  helping  each  other 
along  in  some  way  at  recitations.  Now  where  a  severe  pun- 


UEPORTS   OP   CASES.  311 

ishmcnt  is  the  consequence  of  n  failure,  there  might  seem  to 
be  some  reasonableness  in  helping  your  companions  out  of 
difficulty,  though  even  then  such  tricks  are  departures  from 
honorable  dealing.  But,  especially  where  there  is  no  purpose 
to  be  served  but  that  of  appearing  to  know  more  than  you 
do,  it  certainly  must  be  considered  a  very  mean  kind  of  arti- 
fice. I  think  I  have  sometimes  observed  an  individual  to  be 
prompted  where  evidently  the  assistance  was  not  desired,  and 
even  where  it  was  not  needed.  To  whisper  to  an  individual 
the  answer  to  a  question  is  sometimes  to  pay  her  rather  a 
poor  compliment  at  least,  for  it  is  the  same  as  saying  '  I  am 
a  better  scholar  than  you  are  ;  let  me  help  you  along  a  little.' 
"Let  us  then,  hereafter,  have  only  fair,  open,  honest  deal- 
ings with  each  other ;  no  attempts  to  appear  to  advantage  by 
little  artful  manoeuvring  ;  no  prompting ;  no  peeping  into 
books.  Be  faithful  and  conscientious,  and  then  banish  anx- 
iety for  your  success.  Do  you  not  think  you  will  find  this 
the  best  coarse  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  answered  every  scholar.  "  Arc 
you  willing  to  pledge  yourselves  to  adopt  it"?"  "Yes,  sir." 
"Those  who  are  may  raise  their  hands,"  said  the  teacher. 
Evciy  hand  was  raised ;  and  the  pledge,  there  was  evidence 
to  believe,  was  honorably  sustained. 

1G.  KEEPING  RESOLUTIONS. — The  following  arc  notes  of  a 
familiar  lecture  on  this  subject,  given  by  a  teacher  at  some 
general  exercise  in  the  school.  The  practice  of  thus  reducing 
to  writing  what  the  teacher  may  say  on  such  subjects  will  be 
attended  with  excellent  effects. 

This  is  a  subject  upon  which  young  persons  find  much  difficulty. 
The  question  is  asked  a  thousand  times,  "  How  shall  I  ever  learn  to  keep 
my  resolutions  1"  Perhaps  the  great  cause  of  your  failures  is  this.  You 
are  not  sufficiently  definite  in  forming  your  purposes.  You  will  resolve 
to  do  a  thing,  without  knowing  with  certainty  whether  it  is  even  possi- 
ble to  do  it.  Again,  you  make  resolutions  which  arc  to  run  on  indefi- 
nitely, so  that,  of  course,  they  can  never  be  fully  kept.  For  instance, 
one  of  you  will  resolve  to  use  earlier  in  the  morning.  You  fix  upon  no 


312  TUB  TEACIIEK. 

definite  hour,  on  any  definite  number  of  mornings,  only  you  arc  going 
to  "  rise  earlier."  Morning  comes,  and  finds  you  sleepy  and  disinclined 
to  rise.  You  remember  your  resolution  of  rising  earlier.  "  But  then 
it  is  very  early,"  you  say.  You  resolved  to  rise  earlier,  but  you  didn't 
resolve  to  rise  just  then.  And  this,  it  may  be,  is  the  last  of  your  reso- 
lution. Or  perhaps  you  arc,  for  a  few  mornings,  a  little  earlier ;  but 
then,  at  the  end  of  a  week  or  fortnight,  you  do  not  know  exactly  whether 
your  resolution  has  been  broken  or  kept,  for  you  had  not  decided  whether 
to  rise  earlier  for  ten  days  or  for  ten  years. 

In  the  same  vague  and  general  manner,  a  person  will  resolve  to  be 
more  studious  or  more  diligent.  In  the  case  of  an  individual  of  a  ma- 
ture and  well-disciplined  mind,  of  acquired  firmness  of  character,  such  a 
resolution  might  have  effect.  The  individual  will  really  devote  more 
time  and  attention  to  his  pursuits.  But  for  one  of  you  to  make  such  a 
resolution  would  do  no  sort  of  good.  It  would  only  be  a  source  of 
trouble  and  disquiet.  You  perceive  there  is  nothing  definite — nothing 
fixed  about  it.  You  have  not  decided  what  amount  of  additional  time 
or  attention  to  give  to  your  studies,  or  when  you  will  begin,  or  when 
you  will  end.  There  is  no  one  time  when  you  will  feel  that  you  arc 
breaking  your  resolution,  because  there  were  no  particular  times  when 
you  were  to  study  more.  You  waste  one  opportunity  and  another,  and 
then,  with  a  feeling  of  discouragement  and  self-reproach,  conclude  to 
abandon  your  resolution.  "  Oh  !  it  does  no  good  to  make  resolutions," 
you  say ;  "  I  never  shall  keep  them." 

Now,  if  you  would  have  the  business  of  making  resolutions  a  pleas- 
ant and  interesting  instead  of  a  discouraging,  disquieting  one.  you  must 
proceed  in  a  different  manner.  Be  definite  and  distinct  in  your  plan  ; 
decide  exactly  what  you  will  do,  and  how  you  will  do  it — when  you  will 
begin,  and  when  you  will  end.  Instead  of  resolving  to  "rise  earlier,'' 
resolve  to  rise  at  the  ringing  of  the  sunrise  bells,  or  at  some  other  defi- 
nite time.  Resolve  to  try  this,  as  an  experiment,  for  one  morning,  or 
for  one  week,  or  fortnight.  Decide  positively,  if  you  decide  at  all,  and 
then  rise  when  the  time  comes,  sleepy  or  not  sleepy.  Do  not  stop  to 
repent  of  your  resolution,  or  to  consider  the  wisdom  or  folly  of  it,  when 
the  time  for  acting  under  it  has  once  arrived. 

In  all  cases,  little  and  great,  make  this  a  principle — to  consider  well 
before  you  begin  to  act,  but  after  you  have  begun  to  act,  never  stop  to 
consider.  Resolve  as  deliberately  as  you  please,  but  be  sure  to  keep 
your  resolution,  whether  a  wise  one  or  an  unwise  one,  after  it  is  once 
made.  Never  allow  yourself  to  reconsider  the  question  of  getting  up, 
after  the  morning  has  come,  except  it  be  for  some  unforeseen  circum- 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  313 

stance.     Get  up  for  that  time,  and  be  more  careful  how  you  make  reso- 
lutions again. 

17.  TOPICS. — The  plan  of  the  Topic  Exercise,  as  we  call- 
ed it,  is  this.  Six  or  seven  topics  are  given  out,  information 
upon  which  is  to  be  obtained  from  any  source,  and  commu- 
nicated verbally  before  the  whole  school,  or  sometimes  before 
a  class  formed  for  this  purpose  the  next  day.  The  subjects 
are  proposed  both  by  teacher  and  scholars,  and  if  approved, 
adopted.  The  exercise  is  intended  to  be  voluntary,  but  ought 
to  be  managed  in  a  Avay  sufficiently  interesting  to  induce  all 
to  join. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  exercise  the  teacher  calls 
upon  all  who  have  any  information  in  regard  to  the  topic  as- 
signed— suppose,  for  example,  it  is  Alabaster — to  rise.  Per- 
haps twenty  individuals  out  of  forty  rise.  The  teacher  may 
perhaps  say  to  those  in  their  seats, 

"  Do  you  not  know  any  thing  of  this  subject  ?  Have  you 
neither  seen  nor  heard  of  alabaster,  and  had  no  means  of  as- 
certaining any  thing  in  regard  to  it  ?  If  you  have,  you  ought 
to  rise.  It  is  not  necessary  that  you  should  state  a  fact  alto- 
gether new  and  unheard-of,  but  if  you  tell  me  its  color,  or 
some  of  the  uses  to  which  it  is  applied,  you  will  be  comply- 
ing with  my  request." 

After  these  remarks,  perhaps  a  few  more  rise,  and  possi- 
bly the  whole  school.  Individuals  are  then  called  upon  at 
random,  each  to  state  only  one  particular  in  regard  to  the 
topic  in  cpaestion.  This  arrangement  is  made  so  as  to  give 
all  an  opportunity  to  speak.  If  any  scholar,  after  having 
mentioned  one  fact,  has  something  still  farther  to  communi- 
cate, she  remains  standing  till  called  upon  again.  As  soon 
as  an  individual  has  exhausted  her  stock  of  information,  or 
if  the  facts  that  .she  intended  to  mention  are  stated  by  an- 
other, she  takes  her  seat. 

The  topics  at  first  most  usually  selected  are  the  common 
objects  by  which  we  arc  surrounded — for  example,  glass,  iron, 

O 


314  THE   TEACHER. 

mahogany,  and  the  like.     The  list  will  gradually  extend  it- 
self, until  it  will  embrace  a  large  number  of  subjects. 

The  object  of  this  exercise  is  to  induce  pupils  to  seek  for 
general  information  in  an  easy  and  pleasant  manner,  as  by 
the  perusal  of  books,  newspapers,  periodicals,  and  conversa- 
tion with  friends.  It  induces  care  and  attention  in  reading, 
and  discrimination  in  selecting  the  most  useful  and  impor- 
tant facts  from  the  mass  of  information.  As  .individuals  arc 
called  upon,  also,  to  express  their  ideas  vcrlally,  they  soon  ac- 
quire by  practice  the  power  of  expressing  them  with  clear- 
ness and  force,  and  communicating  with  case  and  confidence 
the  knowledge  they  possess. 

18.  Music. — The  girls  of  our  school  often  amused  them- 
selves in  recess  by  collecting  into  little  groups  for  singing. 
As  there  seemed  to  be  a  suilicient  power  of  voice,  and  a  re- 
spectable number  who  were  Avilling  to  join  in  the  perform- 
ance, it  was  proposed  one  day  that  singing  should  be  intro- 
duced as  a  part  of  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  school. 

The  first  attempt  nearly  resulted  in  a  failure ;  only  a  few 
trembling  voices  succeeded  in  singing  Old  Hundred  to  the 
words  "Be  thou,"  etc.  On  the  second  day  Peterborough 
was  sung  with  much  greater  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
increased  number  of  singers.  The  experiment  was  tried  with 
greater  and  greater  success  for  several  days,  when  the  teacher 
proposed  that  a  systematic  plan  should  be  formed,  by  which 
there  might  be  singing  regularly  at  the  close  of  school.  It 
was  then  proposed  that  a  number  of  singing-books  be  obtain- 
ed, and  one  of  the  scholars,  who  was  well  acquainted  with 
common  tunes,  be  appointed  as  chorister.  Her  duty  should 
be  to  decide  what  particular  tune  may  be  sung  each  day,  in- 
form the  teacher  of  the  metre  of  the  hymn,  and  take  the  lead 
in  the  exercise.  This  plan,  being  approved  of  by  the  schol- 
ars, was  adopted,  and  put  into  immediate  execution.  Sever- 
al brought  copies  of  the  Sabbath  School  Hymn-Book,  which 


REPORTS   OF   CASES.  315 

they  had  in  their  possession,  and  the  plan  succeeded  beyond 
all  expectation.  The  greatest  difficulty  in  the  way  was  to  get 
some  one  to  lead.  The  chorister,  however,  was  somewhat 
relieved  from  the  embarrassment  which  she  would  naturally 
feel  in  making  a  beginning  by  the  appointment  of  one  or  two 
individuals  with  herself,  who  were  to  act  as  her  assistants. 
These  constituted  the  leading  committee,  or,  as  it  Avas  after- 
ward termed,  Singing  Committee. 

Singing  now  became  a  regular  and  interesting  exercise  of 
the  school,  and  the  committee  succeeded  in  managing  the 
business  themselves. 

19.  TABU. — An  article  was  one  day  read  in  a  school  re- 
lating to  the  "  Tabu"  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders.  Tabu  is  a 
term  with  them  which  signifies  consecrated — not  to  be  touch- 
ed— to  be  let  alone — not  to  be  violated.  Thus,  according  to 
their  religious  observances,  a  certain  day  will  be  proclaimed 
Tabu;  that  is,  one  upon  which  there  is  to  be  no  work  or  no 
going  out.  « 

A  few  days  after  this  article  was  read,  the  scholars  observed 
one  morning  a  flower  stuck  up  in  a  conspicuous  place  against 
the  wall,  with  the  word  TABU  in  large  characters  above  it. 
This  excited  considerable  curiosity.  The  teacher  informed 
them,  in  explanation,  that  the  flower  was  a  very  rare  and 
beautiful  specimen,  brought  by  one  of  the  scholars,  which  he 
wished  all  to  examine.  "  You  would  naturally  feel  a  dis- 
position to  examine  it  by  the  touch,"  said  he,  "  but  you  will 
all  sec  that,  by  the  time  it  was  touched  by  sixty  individuals, 
it  would  be  likely  to  be  injured,  if  not  destroyed.  So  I  con- 
cluded to  label  it  Tabu.  And  it  has  occurred  to  me  that 
this  will  be  a  convenient  mode  of  apprising  you  generally 
that  any  article  must  not  be  handled.  You  know  we  some- 
times have  some  apparatus  exposed,  which  would  be  liable 
to  injury  from  disturbance,  where  there  are  so  many  persons 
to  touch  it.  I  shall,  in  such  a  case,  just  mention  that  an 


316  XI IE    TEACHER. 

article  is  Tabu,  and  you  will  understand  that  it  is  not  only 
not  to  be  injured,  but  not  even  touched" 

A.  little  delicate  management  of  this  sort  will  often  have 
more  influence  over  young  persons  than  the  most  vehement 
scolding,  or  the  most  watchful  and  jealous  precautions.  The 
Tabu  was  always  most  scrupulously  regarded,  after  this, 
whenever  employed. 

20.  MENTAL  ANALYSIS. — Scene,  a  class  in  Arithmetic  at 
recitation.  The  teacher  gives  them  an  example  in  addition, 
requesting  them,  when  they  have  performed  it,  to  rise.  Some 
finish  it  very  soon,  others  are  very  slow  in  accomplishing  the 
work. 

"I  should  like  to  ascertain,"  says  the  teacher,  "how  great 
is  the  difference  of  rapidity  with  which  different  members  of 
the  class  work  in  addition.  I  will  give  you  another  exam- 
ple, and  then  notice  by  my  watch  the  shortest  and  longest 
time  required  to  do  it." 

The  result  of  the  experiment  was  that  some  members  of 
the  class  were  two  or  three  times  as  long  in  doing  it  as 
others. 

"  Perhaps  you  think,"  said  the  teacher,  "  that  this  differ- 
ence is  altogether  owing  to  difference  of  skill ;  but  it  is  not. 
It  is  mainly  owing  to  the  different  methods  adopted  by  vari- 
ous individuals.  I  am  going  to  describe  some  of  these,  and, 
as  I  describe  them,  I  wish  you  would  notice  them  carefully, 
and  tell  me  which  you  practice. 

"  There  are,  then,  three  modes  of  adding  up  a  column  of 
figures,  which  I  shall  describe. 

1.  "I  shall  call  the  first  counting.  You  take  the  first  fig- 
ure, and  then  add  the  next  to  it  by  counting  up  regularly. 
There  are  three  distinct  ways  of  doing  this. 

(a.)  "  Counting  by  your  fingers."  ("  Yes,  sir.")  "  You 
take  the  first  figure — suppose  it  is  seven — and  the  one  above 
it,  eight.  Now  you  recollect  that  to  add  eight,  you  rnust 


REPORTS    OF   CASES.  317 

count  all  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  and  all  but  two  again.  So 
you  say  'seven  —  eight,  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen, 
fourteen,  fifteen.' " 

"Yes,  sir,  yes,  sir,"  said  the  scholars. 

(b.)  "  The  next  mode  of  counting  is  to  do  it  mentally, 
without  using  your  fingers  at  all ;  but,  as  it  is  necessary  for 
you  to  have  some  plan  to  secure  your  adding  the  right  num- 
ber, you  divide  the  units  into  sets  of  two  each.  Thus  you 
remember  that  eight  consists  of  four  twos,  and  you  accord- 
ingly say,  when  adding  eight  to  seven,  '  Seven  ;  eight,  nine  ; 
ten,  eleven ;  twelve,  thirteen,'  &c. 

(c.)  "  The  third  mode  is  to  add  by  threes  in  the  same  way. 
You  recollect  that  eight  consists  of  two  threes  and  a  two;  so 
you  say,  '  Seven  ;  eight,  nine,  ten  ;  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen  ; 
fourteen,  fifteen.'  " 

The  teacher  here  stops  to  ascertain  how  many  of  the  class 
are  accustomed  to  add  in  either  of  these  modes.  It  is  a  ma- 
jority. 

2.  "The  next  general  method  is  calculating ;  that  is,  you 
do  not  Unite  one  number  to  another  by  the  dull  and  tedious 
method  of  applying  the  units,  one  by  one,  as  in  the  ways  de- 
scribed under  the  preceding  head,  but  you  come  to  a  result 
more  rapidly  by  some  mode  of  calculating.  These  modes  are 
several. 

(a.)  "  Doubling  a  number,  and  then  adding  or  subtracting, 
as  the  case  may  require.  For  instance,  in  the  example  al- 
ready specified,  in  order  to  add  seven  and  eight,  you  say, 
1  Twice  seven  are  fourteen,  and  one  are  fifteen' "  ("  Yes,  sir, 
yes,  sir")  ;  "  or,  '  Twice  eight  are  sixteen,  and  taking  one  off 
leaves  fifteen."  ("  Yes,  sir.") 

(b.)  "  Another  way  of  calculating  is  to  skip  about  the  col- 
umn, adding  those  numbers  which  you  can  combine  most  eas- 
ily, and  then  bringing  in  the  rest  as  you  best  can.  Thus,  if 
you  see  three  eights  in  one  column,  you  say,  '  Three  times 
eight  are  twenty-four,'  and  then  you  try  to  bring  in  the  other 


318  THE    TEACHER. 

numbers.  Often,  in  such  cases,  you  forget  what  you  have 
added  and  what  you  have  not,  and  get  confused  ("  Yes,  sir"), 
or  you  omit  something  in  your  work,  and  consequently  it  is 
incorrect. 

(c.)  "If  nines  occur,  you  sometimes  add  ten,  and  then  tako 
off  one,  for  it  is  very  easy  to  add  ten. 

(d.)  "  Another  method  of  calculating,  which  is,  however, 
not  very  common,  is  this :  to  take  our  old  case,  adding  eight 
to  seven,  you  take  as  much  from  the  eight  to  add  to  the  sev- 
en as  will  be  sufficient  to  make  ten,  and  then  it  will  be  easy 
to  add  the  rest.  Thus  you  think  in  a  minute  that  three 
from  the  eight  will  make  the  seven  a  ten,  and  then  there  will 
be  five  more  to  add,  which  will  make  fifteen.  If  the  next 
number  was  seven,  you  would  say  five  of  it  will  make  twen- 
ty, and  then  there  will  be  two  left,  which  will  make  twenty- 
two.'  This  mode,  though  it  may  seem  more  intricate  than 
any  of  the  others,  is,  in  fact,  more  rapid  than  any  of  them, 
when  one  is  a  little  accustomed  to  it. 

"  These  are  the  four  principal  modes  of  calculating  which 
occur  to  me.  Pupils  do  not  generally  practice  any  of  them 
exclusively,  but  occasionally  resort  to  each,  according  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  particular  case." 

The  teacher  here  stopped  to  inquire  how  many  of  the  class 
were  accustomed  to  add  by  calculating  in  either  of  these  ways 
or  in  any  simpler  ways. 

3.  "  There  is  one  more  mode  which  I  shall  describe :  it  is 
by  memory.  Before  I  explain  this  mode,  I  wish  to  ask  you 
some  questions,  which  I  should  like  to  have  you  answer  as 
quick  as  you  can. 

"  How  much  is  four  times  five  ?     Four  and  five  ? 

"  How  much  is  seven  times  nine  ?     Seven  and  nine  ? 

"  Eight  times  six  ?     Eight  and  six  ? 

"  Nine  times  seven  ?     Nine  and  seven  ?" 

After,  asking  a  few  questions  of  this  kind,  it  was  perceived 
that  the  pupils  could  tell  much  more  readily  what  was  the 


REPORTS    OF   CASES.  319 

result  when  the  numbers  were  to  be  multiplied  than  when 
they  were  to  be  added. 

"The  reason  is,"  said  the  teacher,  "because  you  commit- 
ted the  multiplication  table  to  memory,  and  have  not  com- 
mitted the  addition  table.  Now  many  persons  have  commit- 
ted the  addition  table,  so  that  it  is  perfectly  familiar  to  them, 
and  when  they  see  any  two  numbers,  the  amount  which  is 
produced  when  they  are  added  together  comes  to  mind  in  an 
instant.  Adding  in  this  way  is  the  last  of  the  three  modes 
I  was  to  describe. 

"  Now  of  these  three  methods  the  last  is  undoubtedly  the 
best.  If  you  once  commit  the  addition  table  thoroughly,  you 
have  it  fixed  for  life ;  whereas  if  you  do  not,  you  have  to 
make  the  calculation  over  again  every  time,  and  thus  lose  a 
vast  amount  of  labor.  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  some 
in  this  class  who  are  in  the  habit  of  counting,  who  have  as- 
certained that  seven  and  eight,  for  instance,  make  fifteen,  by 
counting  up  from  seven  to  fifteen  hundreds  of  times.  Now 
how  much  better  it  would  be  to  spend  a  little  time  in  fixing 
the  fact  in  the  mind  once  for  all,  and  then,  when  you  come 
to  the  case,  seven  and  eight  are — say  at  once  '  Fifteen,'  in- 
stead of  mumbling  over  and  over  again,  hundreds  of  times, 
'  Seven,  eight,  nine,  -ten,  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen,  fourteen, 
fifteen.' 

"  The  reason,  then,  that  some  of  the  class  add  so  slowly, 
is  not,  probably,  because  they  want  skill  and  rapidity  of  exe- 
cution, but  because  they  work  to  a  great  disadvantage  by 
working  in  the  wrong  way.  I  have  often  been  surprised  at 
the  dexterity  and  speed  with  which  some  scholars  can  count 
with  their  fingers  when  adding,  and  yet  they  could  not  get 
through  the  sum  very  quick — at  least  they  would  have  done 
it  in  half  the  time  if  the  same  effort  had  been  made  in  trav- 
eling on  a  shorter  road.  We  will  therefore  study  the  addi- 
tion table  now,  in  the  class,  before  we  go  any  farther." 


320 


THE   TEACHER. 


21.  TARDINESS. — When  only  a  few  scholars  in  a-  school 
arc  tardy,  it  may  be  their  fault ;  but  if  a  great  many  are  so, 
it  is  the  fault  of  the  teacher  or  of  the  school.  If  a  school  is 
prosperous,  and  the  children  are  going  on  well  and  happily 
in  their  studies,  they  will  like  their  work  in  it ;  but  we  all 
come  reluctantly  to  work  which  we  arc  conscious  we  are  not 
successfully  performing. 

There  may  be  two  boys  in  a  school,  both  good  boys ;  one, 
may  be  going  on  well  in  his  classes,  while  the  other,  from 
the  concurrence  of  some  accidental  train  of  circumstances, 
may  be  behindhand  in  his  work,  or  wrongly  classed,  or  so 
situated  in  other  respects  that  his  school  duties  perplex  and 
harass  him  day  by  day.  Now  how  different  will  be  the  feel- 
ings of  these  two  boys  in  respect  to  coming  to  school.  The 
one  will  be  eager  and  prompt  to  reach  his  place  and  com- 
mence his  duties,  while  the  other  will  love  much  better  to 


loiter  in  idleness  and  liberty  in  the  open  air.  Nor  is  he,  un- 
der the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  blame  for  this  prefer- 
ence. There  is  no  one,  old  or  young,  who  likes  or  can  like 
to  do  what  he  himself  and  all  around  him  think  that  he  docs 
not  do  well.  It  is  true  the  teacher  can  not  rely  wholly  on 
the  interest  which  his  scholars  take  in  their  studies  to  make 
them  punctual  at  school ;  but  if  he  finds  among  them  any 


REPORTS   OP   CASES.  321 

very  general  disposition  to  be  tardy,  he  ought  to  seek  for  the 
fault  mainly  in  himself  and  not  in  them. 

The  foregoing  narratives  and  examples,  it  is  hoped,  may 
induce  some  of  the  readers  of  this  book  to  keep  journals  of 
their  own  experiments,  and  of  the  incidents  which  may,  from 
time  to  time,  come  under  their  notice,  illustrating  the  prin- 
ciples of  education,  or  simply  the  characteristics  and  tenden- 
cies of  the  youthful  mind.  The  business  of  teaching  will  ex- 
cite interest  and  afford  pleasure  just  in  proportion  to  the  de- 
gree in  which  it  is  conducted  by  operations  of  mind  upon 
mind,  and  the  means  of  making  it  most  fully  so  are  careful 
practice,  based  upon  and  regulated  by  the  results  of  careful 
observation.  Every  teacher,  then,  should  make  observations 
and  experiments  upon  mind  a  part  of  his  daily  duty,  and 
nothing  will  more  facilitate  this  than  keeping  a  record  of  re- 
sults. There  can  be  no  opportunity  for  studying  human  na- 
ture more  favorable  than  the  teacher  enjoys.  The  materials 
are  all  before  him ;  his  very  business,  from  day  to  day,  brings 
him  to  act  directly  upon  them  ;  and  the  study  of  the  powers 
and  tendencies  of  the  human  mind  is  not  only  the  most  inter- 
esting and  the  noblest  that  can  engage  human  attention,  but 
every  step  of  progress  he  makes  in  it  imparts  an  interest  and 
charm  to  what  would  otherwise  be  a  weary  toil.  It  at  once 
relieves  his  labors,  while  it  doubles  their  efficiency  and  success. 

02 


322 


THE   TEACHER. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY. 


HE  teacher  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  by  a  much 
more  sudden  transition  than  is  common  in  the  other  avoca- 
tions and  employments  of  life.  In  ordinary  cases,  business 
comes  at  first  by  slow  degrees,  and  the  beginner  is  intro- 
duced to  the  labors  and  responsibilities  of  his  employment  in 
a  very  gradual  manner.  The  young  teacher,  however,  enters 
by  a  single  step  into  the  very  midst  of  his  labors.  Having, 
perhaps,  never  even  heard  a  class  recite  before,  he  takes  a 
short  walk  some  winter  morning,  and  suddenly  finds  himself 
instated  at  the  desk,  his  fifty  scholars  around  him,  all  look- 
ing him  in  the  face,  and  waiting  to  be  employed.  Every 
thing  comes  upon  him  at  once.  He  can  do  nothing  until  the 
day  and  the  hour  for  opening  the  school  arrives — then  he  has 
every  tWng  to  do. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 

young  teacher  should  look  forward  with  unusual  solicitude 

•  to  his  first  day  in  school,  and  he  desires,  ordinarily,  special 

instructions  in  respect  to  this  occasion.     Some  such  special 

instructions  we  propose  to  give  in  this  chapter.    The  cxpcri- 


THE  TEACIIEK'S  FIRST  DAT.  323 

cnced  teacher  may  think  some  of  them  too  minute  and  triv- 
ial. But  he  must  remember  that  they  are  intended  for  the 
youngest  beginner  in  the  humblest  school ;  and  if  he  recalls 
to  mind  his  own  feverish  solicitude  on  the  morning  when  he 
went  to  take  his  first  command  in  the  district  school,  he  will 
pardon  the  seeming  minuteness  of  detail. 

1.  It  will  be  well  for  the  young  teacher  to  take  opportu- 
nity, between  the  time  of  his  engaging  his  school  and  that 
of  his  commencing  it,  to  acquire  as  much  information  in  re- 
spect to  it  beforehand  as  possible,  so  as  to  be  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  the  scene  of  his  lafeors  before  entering  upon  it. 
Ascertain  the  names  and  the  characters  of  the  principal  fam- 
ilies in  the  district,  their  ideas  and  wishes  in  respect  to  the 
government  of  the  school,  the  kind  of  management  adopted 
by  one  or  two  of  the  last  teachers,  the  difficulties  they  fell 
into,  the  nature  of  the  complaints  made  against  them,  if  any, 
and  the  families  with  whom  difficulty  has  usually  arisen. 
This  information  must,  of  course,  be  obtained  in  private  con- 
versation ;  a  good  deal  of  it  must  be,  from  its  very  nature, 
highly  confidential ;  but  it  is  very  important  that  the  teach- 
er should  be  possessed  of  it.  lie  will  necessarily  become 
possessed  of  it  by  degrees  in  the  course  of  his  administration, 
when,  however,  it  may  be  too  late  to  be  of  any  service  to 
him.  But,  by  judicious  and  proper  efforts  to  acquire  it  be- 
forehand, he  will  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  with 
great  advantage.  It  is  like  a  navigator's  becoming  acquaint- 
ed beforehand  with  the  nature  and  the  dangers  of  the  sea 
over  which  he  is  about  to  sail. 

Such  inquiries  as  these  will,  in  ordinary  cases,  bring  to  the 
teacher's  knowledge,  in  most  districts  in  our  country,  some 
caseg  of  peculiarly  troublesome  scholars,  or  unreasonable  and 
complaining  parents ;  and  stories  of  their  unjustifiable  con- 
duct on  former  occasions  will  come  to  him  exaggerated  by 
the  jealousy  of  rival  neighbors.  There  is  danger  that  his  re- 
Fentmcnt  may  be  roused  a  little,  and  that  his  mind  wilUns- 


324  THE   TEACHER. 

sumo  a,  hostile  attitude  at  once  toward  such  individuals,  so 
that  he  will  enter  upon  his  work  rather  with  a  desire  to  seek 
n  collision  with  them,  or,  at  least,  with  secret  feelings  of  de- 
fiance toward  them — feelings  which  will  lead  to  that  kind 
of  unbending  perpendicularity  in  his  demeanor  toward  them 
which  will  almost  inevitably  lead  to  a  collision.  Now  this 
is  wrong.  There  is,  indeed,  a  point  Avhere  firm  resistance  to 
unreasonable  demands  becomes  a  duty ;  but,  as  a  general 
principle,  it  is  most  unquestionably  true  that  it  is  the  teach- 
er's duty  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  character  and  expecta- 
tions of  his  employers,  not  to  face  and  brave  them.  Those 
italicized  words  may  be  understood  to  mean  something  which 
would  be  entirely  wrong ;  but  in  the  sense  in  which  I  mean 
to  use  them  there  can  be  no  question  that  they  indicate  the 
proper  path  for  one  employed  by  others  to  do  work/b?1  them 
in  all  cases  to  pursue.  If,  therefore,  the  teacher  finds  by  his 
inquiries  into  the  state  of  his  district  that  there  are  some  pe- 
culiar difficulties  and  dangers  there,  let  him  not  cherish  a  dis- 
position to  face  and  resist  them,  but  to  avoid  them.  Let  him 
go  with  an  intention  to  soothe  rather  than  to  irritate  feelings 
which  have  been  wounded  before,  to  comply  with  the  wishes 
of  all  so  far  as  he  can,  even  if  they  are  not  entirely  reasona- 
ble, and,  while  he  endeavors  to  elevate  the  standard  and  cor- 
rect the  opinions  prevailing  among  his  employers  by  any 
means  in  his  power,  to  aim  at  doing  it  gently,  and  in  a  tone 
and  manner  suitable  to  the  relation  he  sustains — in  a  word, 
let  him  skillfully  avoid  the  dangers  of  his  navigation,  not  ob- 
stinately run  his  ship  against  a  rock  on  purpose  on  the  ground 
that  the  rock  has  no  business  to  be  there. 

This  is  the  spirit,  then,  with  which  these  preliminary  in- 
quiries in  regard  to  the  patrons  of  the  school  ought  to  be 
made.  We  come  now  to  a  second  point. 

2.  It  will  assist  the  young  teacher  very  much  in  his  first 
day's  labors  if  he  takes  measures  for  seeing  and  conversing 
witl^somc  of  the  older  or  more  intelligent  scholars  on  the 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  325 

day  or  evening  before  he  begins  his  school,  with  a  view  of 
obtaining  from  them  some  acquaintance  with  the  internal 
arrangements  and  customs  of  the  school.  The  object  of  this 
is  to  obtain  the  same  kind  of  information  with  respect  to  the 
interior  of  the  school  that  was  recommended  in  respect  to 
the  district  under  the  former  head.  He  may  call  upon  a  few 
families,  especially  those  which  furnish  a  large  number  of 
scholars  for  the  school,  and  make  as  many  minute  inquiries 
of  them  as  he  can  respecting  all  the  interior  arrangements  to 
which  they  have  been  accustomed,  what  reading-books  and 
other  text-books  have  been  used,  what  are  the  principal  class- 
es in  all  the  several  departments  of  instruction,  and  what  is 
the  system  of  discipline,  and  of  rewards  and  punishments,  to 
which  the  school  has  been  accustomed. 

If,  in  such  conversations,  the  teacher  should  find  a  few  in- 
telligent and  communicative  scholars,  he  might  learn  a  great 
deal  about  the  past  habits  and  condition  of  the  school,  which 
would  be  of  great  service  to  him.  Not,  by  any  means,  that 
he  will  adopt  and  continue  these  methods  as  a  matter  of 
course,  but  only  that  a  knowledge  of  them  will  render  him 
very  important  aid  in  marking  out  his  own  course.  The 
more  minute  and  full  the  information  of  this  sort  is  which 
he  thus  obtains,  the  better.  If  practicable,  it  would  be  well 
to  make  out  a  catalogue  of  all  the  principal  classes,  with  the 
names  of  those  individuals  belonging  to  them  who  will  prob- 
ably attend  the  new  school,  and  the  order  in  which  they  were 
usually  called  upon  to  read  or  recite.  The  conversation  which 
would  be  necessary  to  accomplish  this  would  of  itself  be  of 
great  service.  It  would  bring  the  teacher  into  an  acquaint- 
ance with  several  important  families  and  groups  of  children 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  The  parents  would 
sec  and  be  pleased  with  the  kind  of  interest  they  would  see 
the  teacher  taking  in  his  new  duties.  The  children  would 
be  pleased  to  be  able  to  render  their  new  instructor  some 
service,  and  would  go  to  the  school-room  on  the  next  morn- 


320  THE   TEACHER. 

ing  with  a  feeling  of  acquaintance  with  him,  and  a  predis- 
position to  be  pleased.  And  if  by  chance  any  family  should 
be  thus  called  upon  that  had  heretofore  been  captious  or  com- 
plaining, or  disposed  to  be  jealous  of  the  higher  importance 
or  influence  of  other  families,  that  spirit  would  be  entirely 
softened  and  subdued  by  such  an  interview  with  their  new 
instructor  at  their  own  fireside  on  the  evening  preceding  the 
commencement  of  his  labors.  The  great  object,  however, 
which  the  teacher  would  have  in  view  in  such  inquiries 
should  be  the  value  of  the  information  itself.  As  to  the  use 
which  he  will  make  of  it,  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

3.  It  is  desirable  that  the  young  teacher  should  meet  his 
scholars  first  in  an  unofficial  capacity.  For  this  purpose,  re- 
pair to  the  school-room  on  the  first  day  at  an  early  hour,  so 
as  to  see  and  become  acquainted  with  the  scholars  as  they 
come  in  one  by  one.  The  intercourse  between  teacher  and 
pupil  should  be  like  that  between  pai'ents  and  children,  where 
the  utmost  freedom  is  united  with  the  most  perfect  respect. 
The  father  who  is  most  firm  and  decisive  in  his  family  gov- 
ernment can  mingle  most  freely  in  the  conversation  and 
sports  of  his  children  without  any  derogation  of  his  author- 
ity, or  diminution  of  the  respect  they  owe.  Young  teachers, 
however,  arc  prone  to  forget  this,  and  to  imagine  that  they 
must  assume  an  appearance  of  stern  authority  always,  when 
in  the  presence  of  their  scholars,  if  they  wish  to  be  respected 
or  obeyed.  This  they  call  keeping  up  their  dignity.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  wait,  on  the  morning  of  their  induction  into 
office,  until  their  new  subjects  are  all  assembled,  and  then 
walk  in  with  an  air  of  the  highest  dignity,  and  with  the  step 
of  a  king;  and  sometimes  a  formidable  instrument  of  disci- 
pline is  carried  in  the  hand  to  heighten  the  impression.  Now 
there  is  no  question  that  it  is  of  great  importance  that  schol- 
ars should  have  a  high  idea  of  the  teacher's  firmness  and  in- 
flexible decision  in  maintaining  his  authority  and  repressing 
all  disorder  of  every  kind,  but  this  impression  should  be  ere- 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  327 

ated  by  tlicir  seeing  how  he  acts  in  the  various  emergencies 
which  will  spontaneously  occur,  and  not  by  assuming  airs  of 
importance  or  dignity,  feigned  for  effect.  In  other  words, 
their  respect  for  him  should  be  based  on  real  traits  of  charac- 
ter as  they  see  them  brought  out  into  natural  action,  and  not 
on  appearances  assumed  for  the  occasion. 

It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  that  it  is  best  for  the  teacher  first 
to  meet  his  scholars  with  the  air  and  tone  of  free  and  famil- 
iar intercourse,  and  he  will  find  his  opportunity  more  favor- 
able for  doing  this  if  he  goes  early  on  the  first  morning  of 
his  labors,  and  converses  freely  with  those  whom  he  finds 
there,  and  with  others  as  they  come  in.  He  may  take  an  in- 
terest with  them  in  all  the  little  arrangements  connected  with 
the  opening  of  the  school — the  building  of  the  fire,  the  paths 
through  the  snow,  the  arrangements  of  seats ;  calling  upon 
them  for  information  or  aid,  asking  their  names,  and,  in  a 
word,  entering  fully  and  freely  into  conversation  with  them, 
just  as  a  parent,  under  similar  circumstances,  would  do  with 
his  children.  All  the  children  thus  addressed  will  be  pleased 
with  the  gentleness  and  affability  of  the  teacher.  Even  a 
rough  and  ill-natured  boy,  who  has  perhaps  come  to  the 
school  with  the  express  determination  of  attempting  to  make 
mischief,  will  be  completely  disarmed  by  being  asked  politely 
to  help  the  teacher  arrange  the  fire,  or  alter  the  position  of 
his  desk.  Thus,  by  means  of  the  half  hour  during  which  the 
scholars  are  coming  together,  and  of  the  visits  made  in  the 
preceding  evening,  as  described  under  the  last  head,  the  teach- 
er will  find,  when  he  calls  upon  the  children  to  take  their 
seats,  that  he  has  made  a  very  large  number  of  them  his  per- 
sonal friends.  Many  of  these  will  have  communicated  their 
first  impressions  to  the  others,  so  that  he  will  find  himself 
possessed,  at  the  outset,  of  that  Avhich  is  of  vital  consequence 
in  the  opening  of  any  administration — a  strong  party  in  his 
favor. 

4.  The  time  for  calling  the  school  to  order  and  commenc- 


328  THE   TEACHER. 

ing  exercises  of  some  sort  will  at  length  arrive,  though  if  the 
work  of  making  personal  acquaintances  is  going  on  prosper- 
ously, it  may  perhaps  be  delayed  a  little  beyond  the  usual 
hour.  When,  however,  the  time  arrives,  we  Avould  strongly 
recommend  that  the  first  service  by  which  the  regular  duties 
of  the  school  are  commenced  should  be  an  act  of  religious 
worship.  There  are  many  reasons  why  the  exercises  of  the 
school  should  every  day  be  thus  commenced,  and  there  arc 
special  reasons  for  it  on  the  first  day. 

There  arc  very  few  districts  where  parents  would  have  any 
objection  to  this.  They  might,  indeed,  in  some  cases,  if  the 
subject  were  to  be  brought  up  formally  before  them  as  a  mat- 
ter of  doubt,  anticipate  some  difficulties,  or  create  imaginary 
ones,  growing  out  of  the  supposed  sensitiveness  of  contending 
sects ;  but  if  the  teacher  were,  of  his  own  accord,  to  com- 
mence the  plain,  faithful,  and  honest  discharge  of  this  duty 
as  a  matter  of  course,  very  few  would  think  of  making  any 
objection  to  it,  and  almost  all  would  be  satisfied  and  pleased 
with  its  actual  operation.  If,  however,  the  teacher  should, 
in  any  case,  have  reason  to  believe  that  such  a  practice  would 
be  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  his  employers,  it  would,  accord- 
ing to  views  we  have  presented  in  another  chapter,  be  wrong 
for  him  to  attempt  to  introduce  it.  lie  might,  if  he  should 
see  fit,  make  such  an  objection  a  reason  for  declining  to  take 
the  school;  but  he  ought  not,  if  he  takes  it,  to  act  counter  to 
the  known  wishes  of  his  employers  in  so  important  a  point. 
But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  no  such  objections  arc  made  known 
to  him,  he  need  not  raise  the  question  himself  at  all,  but  take 
it  for  granted  that  in  a  Christian  land  there  will  be  no  objec- 
tion to  imploring  the  Divine  protection  and  blessing  at  the 
opening  of  a  daily  school. 

If  this  practice  is  adopted,  it  will  have  a  most  powerful  in- 
fluence upon  the  moral  condition  of  the  school.  It  must  be 
so.  Though  many  will  be  inattentive,  and  many  utterly  un- 
concerned, yet  it  is  not  possible  to  bring  children,  even  in 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  329 

form,  into  the  presence  of  God  every  day,  and  to  utter  in 
their  hearing  the*  petitions  which  they  ought  to  present,  with- 
out bringing  a  powerful  clement  of  moral  influence  to  bear 
upon  their  hearts.  The  good  will  be  made  better ;  the  con- 
scientious more  conscientious  still ;  and  the  rude  and  savage 
will  be  subdued  and  softened  by  the  daily  attempt  to  lead 
them  to  the  throne  of  their  Creator.  To  secure  this  effect, 
the  devotional  service  must  be  an  honest  one.  There  must 
be  nothing  feigned  or  hypocritical ;  no  hackneyed  phrases 
used  without  meaning,  or  intonations  of  assumed  solemnity. 
It  must  be  honest,  heartfelt,  simple  prayer ;  the  plain  and  di- 
rect expression  of  such  sentiments  as  children  ought  to  feel, 
and  of  such  petitions  as  they  ought  to  offer.  We  shall  speak 
presently  of  the  mode  of  avoiding  some  abuses  to  which  this 
exercise  is  liable ;  but  if  these  sources  of  abuse  are  avoided, 
j\:.,l  the  duty  is  performqd  in  that  plain,  simple,  direct,  and 
honest  manner  in  which  it  certainly  will  be  if  it  springs  from 
the  heart,  it  must  have  a  great  influence  on  the  moral  prog- 
ress of  the  children,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  respects  on  the  pros- 
perity of  the  school. 

But,  then,  independently  of  the  advantages  which  may  be 
expected  to  result  from  the  practice  of  daily  prayer  in  school, 
it  would  seem  to  be  the  imperious  duty  of  the  teacher  to  adopt 
it.  So  many  human  minds  committed  thus  to  the  guidance 
of  one,  at  a  period  when  the  character  receives  so  easily  and 
so  permanently  its  shape  and  direction,  and  in  a  world  of  pro- 
bation like  this,  is  an  occasion  which  seems  to  demand  the 
open  recognition  of  the  hand  of  God  on  the  part  of  any  indi- 
vidual to  whom  such  a  trust  is  committed.  The  duty  springs 
so  directly  out  of  the  attitude  in  which  the  teacher  and  pupil 
stand  in  respect  to  each  other,  and  the  relation  they  together 
bear  to  the  Supreme,  that  it  Avould  seem  impossible  for  any 
one  to  hesitate  to  admit  the  duty,  without  denying  altogether 
the  existence  of  a  God. 

How  vast  the  responsibility  o£  giving  form  and  character  to 


THE   TEACHER. 

the  human  soul!  IIo\v  mighty  the  influence  of  which  the  un- 
formed minds  of  a  group  of  children  are  susceptible !  How 
much  their  daily  teacher  must  inevitably  exert  upon  them ! 
If  we  admit  the  existence  of  God  at  all,  and  that  he  exerts 
any  agency  whatever  in  the  moral  world  which  he  has  pro- 
duced, here  seems  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  cases  in  which 
his  intervention  should  be  sought.  And  then,  when  we  re- 
flect upon  the  influence  which  Avould  be  exerted  upon  the  fu- 
ture religious  character  of  this  nation  by  having  the  millions 
of  children  training  up  in  the  schools  accustomed,  through 
all  the  years  of  early  life,  to  being  brought  daily  into  the 
presence  of  the  Supreme,  with  thanksgiving,  confession,  and 
prayer,  it  can  hardly  seem  possible  that  the  teacher  who 
wishes  to  be  faithful  in  his  duties  should  hesitate  in  regard 
to  this.  Some  teacher  may  perhaps  say  that  he  can  not  per- 
form it  because  he  is  not  a  religious  man — he  makes  no  pre- 
tensions to  piety.  But  this  can  surely  be  no  reason.  He 
ought  to  le  a  religious  man,  and  his  first  prayer  offered  in 
school  may  be  the  first  act  by  which  he  becomes  so.  Enter- 
ing the  service  of  Jehovah  is  a  work  which  requires  no  pre- 
liminary steps.  It  is  to  be  done  at  once  by  sincere  confes- 
sion, and  an  honest  prayer  for  forgiveness  for  the  past,  and 
strength  for  time  to  come.  A  daily  religious  service  in  school 
may  be,  therefore,  the  outward  act  by  which  he,  who  has  long 
lived  without  God,  may  return  to  his  duty. 

If,  from  such  considerations,  the  teacher  purposes  to  have 
a  daily  religious  service  in  his  school,  he  should  by  all  means 
begin  on  the  first  day,  and  when  he  first  calls  his  school  to 
order.  He  should  mention  to  his  pupils  the  great  and  obvi- 
ous duty  of  imploring  God's  guidance  and  blessing  in  all  their 
ways,  and  then  read  a  short  'portion  of  Scripture,  with  an 
occasional  word  or  two  of  simple  explanation,  and  offer,  him- 
self, a  short  and  simple  prayer.  In  some  cases,  teachers  are 
disposed  to  postpone  this  duty  a  day  or  two,  from  timidity  or 
other  causes,  hoping  that,  after  becoming  accmaintcd  a  little 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  331 

with  the  school,  and  having  completed  their  more  important 
arrangements,  they  shall  find  it  easier  to  begin.  But  this  is 
a  great  mistake.  The  longer  the  duty  is  postponed,  the  more 
dillicult  and  trying  it  will  be.  And  then  the  moral  impres- 
sions will  be  altogether  more  strong  and  salutary  if  an  act  of 
solemn  religious  worship  is  made  the  first  opening  act  of  the 
school. 

Where  the  teacher  has  not  sufficient  confidence  that  the 
general  sense  of  propriety  among  his  pupils  will  preserve  good 
order  and  decorum  during  the  exercise,  it  may  be  better  for 
him  tq  read  a  prayer  selected  from  books  of  devotion,  or  pre- 
pared by  himself  expressly  for  the  occasion.  By  this  plan 
his  school  will  be,  during  the  exercise,  under  his  own  obser- 
vation, as  at  other  times.  It  may,  in  some  schools  where  the 
number  is  small,  or  the  prevailing  habits  of  seriousness  and 
order  are  good,  be  well  to  allow  the  older  scholars  to  read 
the  prayer  in  rotation,  taking  especial  care  that  it  does  not 
degenerate  into  a  mere  reading  exercise,  but  that  it  is  under- 
stood, both  by  readers  and  licarers,  to  be  a  solemn  act  of  re- 
ligious worship.  In  a  word,  if  the  teacher  is  really  honest 
and  sincere  in  his  wish  to  lead  his  pupils  to  the  worship  of 
God,  he  will  find  no  serious  difficulty  in  preventing  the  abuses 
and  avoiding  the  dangers  which  some  might  fear,  and  in  ac- 
complishing vast  good,  both  in  promoting  the  prospei-ity  of 
the  school,  and  in  the  formation  of  the  highest  and  best  traits 
of  individual  character. 

"We  have  dwelt,  perhaps,  longer  on  this  subject  than  we 
ought  to  have  done  in  this  place ;  but  its  importance,  Avhcn 
viewed  in  its  bearings  OH  the  thousands  of  children  daily  as- 
sembling in  our  district  schools  must  be  our  apology.  The 
embarrassments  and  difficulties  arising  from  the  extreme  sens- 
itiveness which  exists  among  the  various  denominations  of 
Christians  in  our  land,  threaten  to  interfere  very  seriously 
with  giving  a  proper  degree  of  religious  instruction  to  the 
mass  of  the  youthful  population.  But  we  must  not,  because 


332  THE   TEACHEK. 

we  have  no  national  church,  cease  to  have  a  national  religion. 
All  our  institutions  ought  to  be  so  administered  as  openly  to 
recognize  the  hand  of  God,  and  to  seek  his  protection  and 
blessing ;  and  in  regard  to  none  is  it  more  imperiously  neces- 
sary than  in  respect  to  our  common  schools. 

5.  After  the  school  is  thus  opened,  the  teacher  will  find 
himself  brought  to  the  great  difficulty  which  embarrasses  the 
beginning  of  his  labors,  namely,  that  of  finding  immediate 
employment  at  once  for  the  thirty  or  forty  children  who  all 
look  up  to  him  waiting  for  their  orders.  I  say  thirty  or  forty, 
for  the  young  teacher's  first  school  will  usually-  be  am  small 
one.  His  object  should  be,  in  all  ordinaiy  cases,  for  the  first 
few  days,  twofold :  first,  to  revive  and  restore,  in  the  main, 
the  general  routine  of  classes  and  exercises  pursued  by  his  pre- 
decessor in  the  same^  school ;  and,  secondly,  while  doing  this, 
to  become  as  fully  acquainted  with  his  scholars  as  possible. 

It  is  best,  then,  ordinarily,  for  the  teacher  to  begin  the 
school  as  his  predecessor  closed  it,  and  make  the  transition  to 
his  own  perhaps  more  improved  method  a  gradual  one.  In 
some  cases  a  different  course  is  wise  undoubtedly,  as,  for  ex- 
ample, where  a  teacher  is  commencing  a  private  school,  on  a 
previously  well-digested  plan  of  his  own,  or  where  one  who 
has  had  experience,  and  has  confidence  in  his  power  to  bring 
his  new  pupils  promptly  and  at  once  into  the  system  of  class- 
ification and  instruction  which  he  prefers.  It  is  difficult, 
however,  to  do  this,  and  requires  a  good  deal  of  address  and 
decision.  It  is  far  easier  and  safer,  and  in  almost  all  cases 
better,  in  every  respect,  for  a  young  teacher  to  revive  and  re- 
store the  former  arrangements  in  the  main,  and  take  his  de- 
parture from  them.  He  may  afterward  make  changes,  as  he 
may  find  them  necessary  or  desirable,  and  even  bring  the 
school  soon  into  a  veiy  different  state  from  that  in  which  he 
finds  it ;  but  it  will  generally  be  more  pleasant  for  himself, 
and  better  for  the  school,  to  avoid  the  shock  of  a  sudden  and 
entire  revolution. 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  333 

The  first  thing,  then,  when  the  scholars  are  ready  to  be  em- 
ployed, is  to  set  them  at  work  in  classes  or  upon  lessons,  as 
they  would  have  been  employed  had  the  former  teacher  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  school.  To  illustrate  clearly  how 
this  may  be  done,  we  may  give  the  following  dialogue : 

Tcac/ier.  Can  any  one  of  the  boys  inform  me  what  was  the 
first  lesson  that  the  former  master  used  to  hear  in  the  morn- 
ing? 

The  boys  arc  silent,  looking  to  one  another. 

Teacher,  Did  he  hear  any  recitation  immediately  after  school 
began  ? 

Boys  (faintly,  and  with  hesitation).  No,  sir. 

Teacher.  How  long  was  it  before  he  began  to  hear  lessons? 

Several  boys  simultaneously.  "About  half  an  hour."  "A 
little  while."  "  Quarter  of  an  hour." 

"  What  did  he  do  at  this  time '?" 

"Set  copies,"  "Looked  over  sums,"  and  various  other  an- 
swers arc  perhaps  given. 

The  teacher  makes  a  memorandum  of  this,  and  then  in- 
quires, 

"  And  what  lesson  came  after  this  f ' 

"  Geography." 

"All  the  boys  in  this  school  who  studied  Geography  may 
rise." 

A  considerable  number  rise. 

"Did  you  all  recite  together?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  There  are  two  classes,  then  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir."     "  Yes,  sir."     "  More  than  two." 

"  All  who  belong  to  the  class  that  recites  first  in'thc  morn- 
ing may  remain  standing ;  the  rest  may  sit." 

The  boys  obey,  and  eight  or  ten  of  them  remain  standing. 
The  teacher  calls  upon  one  of  them  to  produce  his  book,  and 
assigns  them  a  lesson  in  regular  course.  lie  then  requests 
some  one  of  the  number  to  write  out,  in  the  course  of  the  dsiy. 


334  THE   TEACIIEn. 

a  list  of  the  class,  and  to  bring  it  Avith  him  to  the  recitation 
the  next  morning. 

"  Are  there  any  other  scholars  in  the  school  who  think  it 
would  be  well  for  them  to  join  this  class?" 

In  answer  to  this  question  probably  some  new  scholars 
might  rise,  or  some  hitherto  belonging  to  other  classes,  who 
might  be  of  suitable  age  and  qualifications  to  be  transferred. 
If  these  individuals  should  appear  to  be  of  the  proper  stand- 
ing and  character,  they  might  at  once  be  joined  to  the  class 
in  question,  and  directed  to  take  the  same  lesson. 

In  the  same  manner,  the  other  classes  would  pass  in  review 
before  the  teacher,  and  he  would  obtain  a  memorandum  of 
the  usual  order  of  exercises,  and  in  a  short  time  set  all  his 
pupils  at  work  preparing  for  the  lessons  of  the  next  day.  lie 
would  be  much  aided  in  this  by  the  previous  knowledge  which 
he  would  have  obtained  by  private  conversation,  as  recom- 
mended under  a  former  head.  Some  -individual  cases  would 
require  a  little  special  attention,  such  as  new  scholars,  small 
children,  and  others ;  but  he  would  be  able,  before  a  great 
while,  to  look  around  him  and  see  his  whole  school  busy  with 
the  work  he  had  assigned  them,  and  his.  own  time,  for  the 
rest  of  the  morning,  in  a  great  degree  at  his  own  command. 

I  ought  to  say,  however,  that  it  is  not  probable  that  ho 
would  long  continue  these  arrangements  unaltered.  In  hear- 
ing the  different  classes  recite,  he  would  watch  for  opportu- 
nities for  combining  them,  or  discontinuing  those  Avherc  the 
number  was  small ;  he  would  alter  the  times  of  recitation, 
and  group  individual  scholars  into  classes,  so  as  to  bring  the 
school,  in  a  very  short  time,  into  a  condition  corresponding 
more  nearly  with  his  own  views.  All  this  can  be  done  very 
easily  and  pleasantly  when  the  wheels  are  once  in  motion ; 
for  a  school  is  like  a  ship  in  one  respect — most  easily  steered 
in  the  right  direction  when  under  sail. 

]>y  this  plan,  also,  the  teacher  obtains  what  is  almost  ab- 
solutely necessary  at  the  commencement  of  his  labor?,  time 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  335 

for  observation.  It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  he  should 
become  acquainted,  as  early  as  possible,  Avith  the  characters 
of  the  boys,  especially  to  learn  Avho  those  arc  which  arc  most 
likely  to  be  troublesome.  There  always  will  be  a  few  who 
will  require  special  watch  and  care,  and  generally  there  will 
be  only  a  few.  A  great  deal  depends  on  finding  these  indi- 
viduals out  in  good  season,  and  bringing  the  pressure  of  a 
proper  authority  to  bear  upon  them  soon.  By  the  plan  I 
have  recommended  of  not  attempting  to  remodel  the  school 
wholly  at  once,  the  teacher  obtains  time  for  noticing  the  pu- 
pils, and  learning  something  about  their  individual  charac- 
ters. In  fact,  so  important  is  this,  that  it  is  the  plan  of 
some  teachers,  whenever  they  commence  a  new  school,  to  let 
the  boys  have  their  own  way,  almost  entirely,  for  a  few  days, 
in  order  to  find  out  fully  who  the  idle  and  mischievous  arc. 
This  is,  perhaps,  going  a  little  too  far;  but  it  is  certainly  de- 
sirable to  enjoy  as  many  opportunities  for  observation  as  can 
be  secured  on  the  first  few  days  of  the  school. 

G.  Make  it,  tlien,  a  special  object  of  attention,  during  the 
first  day  or  two,  to  discover  who  the  idle  and  mischievous  in- 
dividuals arc.  They  will  have  generally  seated  themselves 
together  in  little  knots;  for,  as  they  are  aware  that  the  new 
teacher  does  not  know  them,  they  will  imagine  that,  though 
perhaps  separated  before,  they  can  now  slip  together  again 
without  any  trouble.  It  is  best  to  avoid,  if  possible,  an  open 
collision  with  any  of  them  at  once,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
the  better  observed.  Whenever,  therefore,  you  sec  idleness 
'or  play,  endeavor  to  remedy  the  evil  for  the  time  by  giving 
the  individual  something  special  to  do,  or  by  some  other 
measure,  without,  however,  seeming  to  notice  the  misconduct. 
Continue  thus  adroitly  to  stop  every  thing  disorderly,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  you  notice  and  remember  where  the  tend- 
encies to  disorder  exi.-t. 

By  this  means,  the  individuals  who  would  cause  most  of 
the  trouble  and  difficulty  in  the  discipline  of  the  school  will 


S3G  .  THE   TEACHER. 

soon  betray  themselves,  and  those  whose  fidelity  and  good 
behavior  can  be  relied  upon  will  also  be  known.  The  names 
of  the  former  should  be  among  the  first  that  the  teacher 
learns,  and  their  characters  should  be  among  the  first-which 
he  studies.  The  most  prominent  among  them  —  those  ap- 
parently most  likely  to  make  trouble  —  he  should  note  par- 
ticularly, and  make  inquiries  out  of  school  respecting  them, 
their  characters,  and  their  education  at  home,  so  as  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  them  as  early  unJ  as  fully  as  possible, 
for  he  must  have  this  full  acquaintance  with  them  before  he 
is  prepared  to  commence  any  decided  course  of  discipline  with 
them.  The  teacher  often  does  irreparable  injury  by  rash  ac- 
tion at  the  outset.  He  sees,  for  instance,  a  boy  secretly  eat- 
ing an  apple  which  he  has  concealed  in  his  hand,  and  which 
he  bites  with  his  book  before  his  mouth,  or  his  head  under 
the  lid  of  his  desk.  It  is  perhaps  the  first  day  of  the  school, 
and  the  teacher  thinks  he  had  better  make  an  example  at 
the  outset,  and  calls  the  boy  out,  knowing  nothing  about  his 
general  character,  and  inflicts  some  painful  or  degrading  pun- 
ishment before  all  the  school.  A  little  afterward,  as  he  be- 
comes gradually  acquainted  with  the  boy,  he  finds  that  he  is 
of  mild,  gentle  disposition,  generally  obedient  and  harmless, 
and  that  his  offense  was  only  an  act  of  momentary  thought- 
lessness, arising  from  some  circumstances  of  peculiar  tempta- 
tion at  the  time;  a  boy  in  the  next  seat,  perhaps,  had  just 
before  given  him  the  apple.  The  teacher  regrets,  when  too 
late,  the  hasty  punishment.  He  perceives  that  instead  of 
having  the  influence  of  salutary  example  upon  the  other  boys* 
it  must  have  shocked  their  sense  of  justice,  and  excited  dis- 
like toward  a  teacher  so  quick  and  severe,  rather  than  of  fear 
of  doing  wrong  themselves.  It  would  be  safer  to  postpone 
such  decided  measures  a  little — to  avoid  all  open  collisions,  if 
possible,  for  a  few  days.  In  such  a  case  as  the  above,  the 
boy  might  be  kindly  spoken  to  in  an  under  tone,  in  such  a 
way  as  to  show  both  the  teacher's  sense  of  the  impropriety 


THE   TEACllEIl's    FIRST   DAY.  037 

of  disorder,  and  also  his  desire  to  avoid  giving  pain  to  the 
boy.  If  it  then  turns  out  that  the  individual  is  ordinarily  a 
well-disposed  boy,  all  is  right,  and  if  he  proves  to  be  habitu- 
ally disobedient  and  troublesome,  the  lenity  and  forbearance 
exercised  at  first  will  facilitate  the  effect  aimed  at  by  subse- 
quent measures.  Avoid,  then,  for  the  few  first  days,  all  open 
collision  with  any  of  your  pupils,  that  you  may  have  oppor- 
tunity for  minute  and  thorough  observation. 

And  here  the  young  teacher  ought  to  be  cautioned  against 
a  fault  which  beginners  are  very  prone  to  fall  into,  that  of 
forming  unfavorable  opinions  of  some  of  their  pupils  from 
their  air  and  manner  before  they  see  any  thing  in  their  con- 
duct which  ought  to  be  disapproved.  A  boy  or  girl  comes 
to  the  desk  to  ask  a  question  or  make  a  request,  and  the 
teacher  sees  in  the  cast  of  countenance,  or  in  the  bearing  or 
tone  of  the  individual,  something  indicating  a  proud,  or  a 
sullen,  or  an  ill-humored  disposition,  and  conceives  a  preju- 
dice, often  entirely  without  foundation,  which  weeks  perhaps 
do  not  wear  away;  Every  experienced  teacher  can  recollect 
numerous  cases  of  this  sort,  and  he  learns,  after  a  time,  to 
suspend  his  judgment.  Be  cautious,  therefore,  on  this  point, 
and  in  the  survey  of  your  pupils  which  you  make  during  the 
first  few  days  of  your  school,  trust  to  nothing  but  the  most 
sure  and  unequivocal  evidences  of  character,  for  many  of  your 
most  docile  and  faithful  pupils  will  be  found  among  those 
whose  appearance  at  first  prepossessed  you  strongly  against 
them. 

One  other  caution  ought  also  to  be  given.  Do  not  judge 
too  severely  in  respect  to  the  ordinary  cases  of  misconduct  in 
school.  The  young  teacher  almost  invariably  does  judge  too 
severely.  While  engaged  himself  in  hearing  a  recitation,  or 
looking  over  a  "  sum,"  he  hears  a  stifled  laugh,  and,  looking 
up,  sees  the  little  offender  struggling  with  the  muscles  of  his 
countenance  to  restore  their  gravity.  The  teacher  is  vexed 
at  (ho  interruption,  and  severely  rebukes  or  punishes  the  boy, 


3G8  THE   TEACHER. 

when,  after  all,  the  offense,  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  was  an 
exceedingly  light  one — at  least  it  might  very  probably  have 
been  so.  In  fact,  a  large  proportion  of  the  offenses  against 
order  committed  in  school  are  the  mere  momentary  action  of 
the  natural  buoyancy  and  life  of  childhood.  This  is  no  rea- 
son why  they  should  be  indulged,  or  why  the  order  and  reg- 
ularity of  the  school  should  be  sacrificed,  but  it  should  pre- 
vent their  exciting  feelings  of  anger  or  impatience,  or  very 
severe  reprehension.  While  the  teacher  should  take  effect- 
ual measures  for  restraining  all  such  irregularities,  he  should 
do  it  with  the  tone  and  manner  which  will  show  that  he  un- 
derstands their  true  moral  character,  and  deals  with  them, 
not  as  heinous  sins,  which  deserve  severe  punishment,  but  as 
serious  inconveniences,  which  he  is  compelled  to  repress. 

There  arc  often  cases  of  real  moral  turpitude  in  school, 
such  as  where  there  is  intentional,  willful  mischief,  or  dis- 
turbance, or  habitual  disobedience,  and  there  may  even  be, 
in  some  cases,  open  rebellion.  Now  the  teacher  should  show 
that  he  distinguishes  these  cases  from  such  momentary  acts 
of  thoughtlessness  as  we  have  described,  and  a  broad  distinc- 
tion ought  to  be  made  in  the  treatment  of  them.  In  a  word, 
then,  what  we  have  been  recommending  under  this  head  is, 
that  the  teacher  should  make  it  his  special  study,  for  his  first 
few  days  in  school,  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  characters 
of  his  pupils,  to  learn  Avho  are  the  thoughtless  oijps,  who  the 
mischievous,  and  who  the  disobedient  and  rebellious,  and  to 
do  this  with  candid,  moral  discrimination,  and  with  as  little 
open  collision  with  individuals  as  possible. 

7.  Another  point  to  which  the  teacher  ought  to  give  his 
early  attention  is  to  separate  the  bad  boys  as  soon  as  he  can 
from  one  another.  The  idleness  and  irregularity  of  children 
in  school  often  depends  more  on  accidental  circumstances 
than  on  character.  Two  boys  may  be  individually  harmless 
and  well-disposed,  and  yet  they  may  be  of  so  mercurial  a 
temperament  that,  together,  the  temptation  to  continual  play 


THE   TEACHEli's    FI1JST    DAY.  339 

will  be  irresistible.  Another  case  that  more  often  happens  is 
where  one  is  actively  and  even  intentionally  bad,  and  is  seat- 
ed next  to  an  innocent,  but  perhaps  thoughtless  boy,  and  con- 
trives to  keep  him  always  in  difficulty.  Now  remove  the 
former  away,  where  there  arc  no  very  frail  materials  for  him 
to  act  upon,  and  place  the  latter  where  he  is  exposed  to  no 
special  temptation,  and  all  would  be  well. 

This  is  all  very  obvious,  and  known  familiarly  to  all  teach- 
ers Avho  have  had  any  experience.  But  beginners  are  not 
generally  so  aware  of  it  at  the  outset  as  to  make  any  direct 
and  systematic  efforts  to  examine  the  school  with  reference 
to  its  condition  in  this  respect.  It  is  usual  to  go  on,  leaving 
the  boys  to  remain  seated  as  chance  or  their  own  inclinations 
grouped  them,  and  to  endeavor  to  keep  the  peace  among  the 
various  neighborhoods  by  close  supervision,  rebukes,  and  pun- 
ishment. Now  these  difficulties  may  be  very  much  dimin- 
ished by  looking  a  little  into  the  arrangement  of  the  boys  at 
the  outset,  and  so  modifying  it  as  to  diminish  the  amount  of 
temptation  to  which  the  individuals  arc  exposed. 

This  should  be  done,  however,  cautiously,  deliberately,  and 
with  good-nature,  keeping  the  object  of  it  a  good  deal  out  of 
view.  It  must  be  done  cautiously  and  deliberately,  for  the 
first  appearances  arc  exceedingly  fallacious  in  respect  to  the 
characters  of  the  different  children.  You  see,  perhaps,  some 
indications  of  play  between  two  boys  upon  the  same  scat,  and 
hastily  conclude  that  they  are  disorderly  boys,  and  must  be 
separated.  Something  in  the  air  and  manner  of  one  or  both 
of  them  confirms  this  impression,  and  you  take  the  necessary 
measures  at  once.  You  then  find,  when  you  become  more 
fully  acquainted  with  them,  that  the  appearances  which  you 
observed  were  only  momentary  and  accidental,  and  that  they 
would  have  been  as  safe  together  as  any  two  boys  in  the 
school.  And  perhaps  you  will  even  find  that,  by  their  new 
position,  you  have  brought  one  or  the  other  into  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  temptation.  Wait,  therefore,  before  you 


340  THE    TEACHER. 

make  such  changes,  till  you  have  ascertained  actual  character, 
doing  this,  however,  without  any  unnecessary  delay. 

In  such  removals,  too,  it  is  well,  in  many  cases,  to  keep 
the  motive  and  design  of  them  as  much  as  possible  out  of 
view;  for  by  expressing  suspicion  of  a  boy,  you  injure  his 
character  in  his  own  opinion  and  in  that  of  others,  and  tend 
to  make  him  reckless.  Besides,  if  you  remove  a  boy  from  a 
companion  whom  he  likes,  avowedly  to  prevent  his  playing, 
you  offer  him  an  inducement,  if  he  is  a  bad  boy,  to  continue 
to  play  in  his  new  position  for  the  purpose  of  thwarting  you, 
or  from  the  influence  of  resentment.  It  would  be  wrong,  in- 
deed, to  use  any  subterfuge  or  duplicity  cf  any  kind  to  con- 
ceal your  object,  but  you  are  not  bound  to  explain  it ;  and 
in  the  many  changes  which  you  will  be  compelled  to  make 
in  the  course  of  the  first  week  for  various  purposes,  you  may 
include  many  of  these  without  explaining  particularly  the 
design  or  intention  of  any  of  them. 

In  some  instances,  however,  you  may  frankly  slate  the 
whole  case  without  danger,  provided  it  is  done  in  such  a 
manner  as  not  to  nuikc  the  boy  feel  that  his  character  is  se- 
riously injured. in  your  estimation.  It  must  depend  upon  the 
tact  and  judgment  of  the  teacher  to  determine  upon  the  par- 
ticular course  to  be  pursued  in  the  several  cases,  though  lie 
ought  to  keep  these  general  principles  in  view  in  all. 

In  one  instance,  for  example,  he  will  sec  two  boys  together, 
James  and  Joseph  we  will  call  them,  exhibiting  a  tendency 
to  play,  and  after  inquiring  into  their  characters,  he  will  find 
that  they  are  good-natured,  pleasant  boys,  and  that  he  had 
better  be  frank  with  them  on  the  subject.  He  calls  one  of 
them  to  his  desk,  and  perhaps  the  following  dialogue  ensues: 

"James,  I  am  making  some  changes  in  the  scats,  and 
thought  of  removing  you  to  another  place.  Have  you  any 
particular  preference  for  that  scat  ?" 

The  question  is  unexpected,  and  James  hesitates.  He 
wishes  to  sit  next  to  Joseph,  but  doubts  whether  it  is  quite 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  oil 

prudent   to  avow  it ;    so  lie  says,  slowly  find  with  hesita- 
tion, 
.    "  No,  sir,  I  do  not  know  that  I  have." 

"If  you  have  any  reason,  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  frankly, 
for  I  want  you  to  have  such  a  seat  as  will  be  pleasant  to  you." 

James  does  not  know  what  to  say.  Encouraged,  however, 
by  the  good-humored  tone  and  look  which  the  master  assumes, 
he  says,  timidly, 

"Joseph  and  I  thought  we  should  like  to  sit  together,  if 
you  are  willing." 

"  Oh !  you  and  Joseph  arc  particular  friends,  then,  I  sup- 
pose ?" 

"  Why,  yes,  sir." 

"I  am  not  surprised,  then,  that  you  want  to  sit  together, 
though,  to  tell  the  truth,  that  is  rather  a  reason  why  I  should 
separate  you." 

"Why,  sir?" 

"  Because  I  have  observed  that  when  two  great  friends  arc 
seated  together,  they  arc  always  more  apt  to  whisper  and 
play.  Have  you  not  observed  it?" 

"Why,  yes,  sir." 

"  You  may  go  and  ask  Joseph  to  come  here." 

When  the  two  boys  make  their  appearance  again,  the 
teacher  continues : 

"Joseph,  James  tells  me  that  you  and  he  would  like  to  sit 
together,  and  says  you  are  particular  friends ;  but  I  tell  him," 
he  adds,  smiling,  "  that  that  is  rather  a  reason  for  separating 
you.  Now  if  I  should  put  you  both  into  different  parts  of 
the  school,  next  to  boys  that  you  are  not  acquainted  with,  it 
would  be  a  great  deal  easier  for  you  to  be  still  and  studious 
than  it  is  now.  Do  you  not  think  so  yourselves  ?" 

The  boys  look  at  one  another  and  smile. 

"  However,  there  is  one  way  you  can  do.  You  can  guard 
against  the  extra  temptation  by  extra  care ;  and,  on  the  whole, 
as  I  believe  you  are  pretty  good  boys,  I  will  let  you  have  your 


342  THE    TEACHER. 

choice.  You  may  stay  as  you  arc,  and  make  extra  exertion 
to  be  perfectly  regular  and  studious,  or  I  will  find  scats  for 
you  where  it  will  be  a  great  deal  easier  for  you  to  be  so. 
Which  do  you  think  you  should  rather  do?" 

The  boys  hesitate,  look  at  one  another,  and  presently  say 
that  they  had  rather  sit  together. 

"Well,"  said  the  teacher,  "it  is  immaterial  to  me  whether 
you  sit  together  or  apart,  if  you  are  only  good  boys,  so  you 
may  take  your  seats  and  try  it  a  little  while.  If  you  find  it 
too  hard  work  to  be  studious  and  orderly  together,  I  can 
make  a  change  hereafter.  I  shall  soon  see." 

Such  a  conversation  will  have  many  good  effects.  It  will 
make  the  boys  expect  to  be  watched,  without  causing  them 
to  feel  that  their  characters  have  suffered.  It  will  stimulate 
them  to  greater  exertion  to  avoid  all  misconduct,  and  it  will 
prepare  the  way  for  separating  them  afterward  without  awak- 
ening feelings  of  resentment,  if  the  experiment  of  their  sit- 
ting together  should  iail. 

Another  case  would  be  managed,  perhaps,  in  a  little  dif- 
ferent way,  where  the  tendency  to  play  was  more  decided. 
After  speaking  to  the  individuals  mildly  two  or  three  times, 
you  see  them  again  at  play.  You  ask  them  to  wait  that  day 
after  school  and  come  to  your  desk. 

They  have,  then,  the  rest  of  the  day  to  think  occasionally 
of  the  difficulty  they  have  brought  themselves  into,  and  the 
anxiety  and  suspense  which  they  will  naturally  feel  will  give 
you  every  advantage  for  speaking  to  them  with  effect ;  and 
if  you  should  be  engaged  a  few  minutes  with  some  other  busi- 
ness after  school,  so  that  they  should  have  to  stand  a  little 
while  in  silent  expectation,  waiting  for  their  turn,  it  would 
contribute  to  the  permanence  of  the  effect. 

"Well,  boys,"  at  length  you  say,  with  a  serious  but  frank 
tone  of  voice,  "  I  saw  you  playing  in  a  disorderly  manner  to- 
day, and,  in  the  first  place,  I  wish  you  to  tell  me  honestly  all 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  843 

about  it.  I  am  not  going  to  punish  you,  but  I  wish  you  to 
be  open  and  honest  about  it.  What  were  you  doing  ?" 

The  boys  hesitate. 

"  George,  what  did  you  have  in  your  hand?" 

"A  piece  of  paper." 

"  And  what  were  you  doing  with  it  ?" 

George.  William  was  trying  to  take  it  away  from  me. 

"Was  there  any  thing  on  it1?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"What?" 

George  looks  down,  a  little  confused. 

William.  George  had  been  drawing  some  pictures  on  it. 

"  I  see  each  of  you  is  ready  to  tell  of  the  other's  fault, 
but  it  would  be  much  more  honorable  if  each  was  open  in 
acknowledging  his  own.  IIuvo  I  ever  had  to  speak  to  you 
before  for  playing  together  in  school  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  believe  you  have,"  says  one,  looking  down. 

"More  than  once?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"More  than  twice?" 

"  I  do  not  recollect  exactly ;  I  believe  you  have." 

"Well,  now,  what  do  you  think  I  ought  to  do  next?" 

The  boys  have  nothing  to  say. 

"  Do  you  prefer  sitting  together,  or  arc  you  willing  to  have 
me  separate  you  ?" 

"We  should  rather  sit  together,  fir,  if  you  arc  willing," 
says  George. 

"I  have  no  objection  to  your  sitting  together,  if  you  could 
only  resist  the  temptation  to  play.  I  want  all  the  boys  in 
the  school  to  have  pleasant  seats." 

There  is  a  pause,  the  teacher  hesitating  what  to  do. 

"  Suppose,  now,  I  were  to  make  one  more  experiment,  and 
let  you  try  to  be  good  boys  in  your  present  scat,  would  you 
really  try?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  "  Yes,  sir,  we  will,"  are  the  replies. 


314  THE   TEACHER. 

"  And  if  I  should  find  that  you  still  continue  to  play,  and 
should  have  to  separate  you,  will  you  move  into  your  new 
seats  pleasantly,  and  with  good-humor,  feeling  that  I  have 
done  right  about  it*?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  we  will." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  may  be  cases  where  the 
teacher  may  make  arrangements  for  separating  his  scholars, 
on  an  open  and  distinct  understanding  with  them  in  respect 
to  the  cause  of  it.  We  have  given  these  cases,  not  that  ex- 
actly such  ones  will  be  very  likely  to  occur,  or  that,  when 
they  do,  the  teacher  is  to  manage  them  in  exactly  the  way 
here  described,  but  to  exhibit  more  clearly  to  the  reader  than 
could  be  done  by  any  general  description,  .the  spirit  and  tone 
which  a  teacher  ought  to  assume  toward  his  pupils.  We 
wished  to  exhibit  this  in  contrast  with  the  harsh  and  impa- 
tient manner  which  teachers  too  often  assume  in  such  a  case, 
as  follows : 

"John  Williams  and  Samuel  Smith,  come  here  to  me !"  ex- 
claims the  master,  in  a  harsh,  impatient  tone,  in  the  midst 
of  the  exercises  of  the  afternoon. 

The  scholars  all  look  up  from  their  work.  The  culprits 
slowly  rise  from  their  seats,  and  with  a  sullen  air  come  down 
to  the  floor. 

"  You  arc  playing,  boys,  all  the  time,  and  I  will  not  have 
it.  John,  do  you  take  your  books,  and  go  and  sit  out  there 
by  the  window;  and,  Samuel,  you  come  and  sit  here  on  this 
front  seat ;  and  if  I  catch  }-ou  playing  again,  I  shall  certainly 
punish  you  severely." 

The  boys  make  the  move  with  as  much  rattling  and  dis- 
turbance as  is  possible  without  furnishing  proof  of  willful  in- 
tention to  make  a  noise ;  and  when  they  get  their  new  seats, 
and  the  teacher  is  again  engaged  upon  his  work,  they  ex- 
change winks  and  nods,  and  in  ten  minutes  are  slyly  cannon- 
ading each  other  with  paper  balls. 


THIS   TBACIIEli's    MUST    DAY.  345 

In  regard  to  .nil  the  directions  that  have  been  given  under 
this  head,  I  ought  to  say  again,  before  concluding  it,  that  they 
are  mainly  applicable  to  the  case  of  beginners  and  of  small 
schools.  The  general  principles  are,  it  is  true,  of  universal 
application,  but  it  is  only  where  a  school  is  of  moderate  size 
that  the  details  of  position,  in  respect  to  individual  scholars, 
can  be  minutely  studied.  More  summary  processes  are  nec- 
essary, I  am  aware,  when  the  school  is  very  large,  and  the 
time  of  the  teacher  is  incessantly  engaged. 

8.  In  some  districts  in  New  England  the  young  teacher 
will  find  one  or  more  boys,  generally  among  the  larger  ones, 
who  will  come  to  the  school  with  the  express  determination 
to  make  a  difficulty  if  they  can.  The  best  way  is  generally 
to  face  these  individuals  at  once  in  the  most  direct  and  open 
manner,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  perfect  good-humor  and 
kindness  of  feeling  and  deportment  toward  them  personally. 
An  example  or  two  will  best  illustrate  what  I  mean. 

A  teacher  heard  a  rapping  noise  repeatedly  one  day,  just 
after  he  had  commenced  his  labors,  under  such  circumstances 
as  to  lead  him  to  suppose  it  was  designed.  lie  did  not  ap- 
pear to  notice  it,  but  remained  after  school  until  the  schol- 
ars had  all  gone,  and  then  made  a  thorough  examination, 
lie  found,  at  length,  a  broken  place  in  the  plastering,  where 
a  lath  was  loose,  and  a  string  was  tied  to  the  end  of  it,  and 
thence  carried  along  the  wall,  under  the  benches,  to  the  seat 
of  a  mischievous  boy,  and  fastened  to  a  nail.  I»y  pulling  the 
string  he  could  spring  the  lath,  and  then  let  it  snap  back  to 
its  place.  lie  left  every  thing  as  it  was,  and  the  next  day, 
while  engaged  in  a  lesson,  he  heard  the  noise  again. 

He  rose  from  his  seat. 

The  scholars  all  looked  up  from  their  books. 

"Did  you  hear  that  noise?"  said  he. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Do  you  know  what  it  is?" 

"No,  sir." 

P2 


340  THE   TEACHER. 

"  Very  well ;  I  only  wished  to  call  your  attention  to  it.  I 
may  perhaps  speak  of  it  again  by-aml-by." 

He  then  resumed  his  exercise  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
The  guilty  boy  was  agitated  and  confused,  and  was  utterly  at 
a  loss  to  know  what  to  do.  "What  could  the  teacher  mean  ? 
Had  he  discovered  the  trick  ?  and,  if  so,  what  was  he  going 
to  do? 

He  grew  more  and  more  uneasy,  and  resolved  that,  at  all 
events,  it  was  best  for  him  to  retreat.  Accordingly,  at  the 
next  recess,  as  the  teacher  had  anticipated,  he  went  slyly  to 
the  lath,  cut  the  string,  then  returned  to'  his  seat,  and  drew 
the  line  in,  rolled  it  up,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  The  teacher, 
who  was  secretly  watching  him,  observed  the  whole  manoeuvre. 

At  the  close  of  the  school,  when  the  books  were  laid  aside, 
and  all  was  silence,  he  treated  th»  affair  thus : 

"Do  you  remember  the  noise  to  which  I  called  your  at- 
tention early  this  afternoon?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"I  will  explain  it  to  you  now.  One  of  the  boys  tied  a 
string  to  a  loose  lath  in  the  side  of  the  room,  and  then,  hav- 
ing the  end  of  it  -at  his  seat,  he  was  pulling  it  to  make  a  noise 
to  disturb  us." 

The  scholars  all  looked  astonished,  and  then  began  to  turn 
round  toward  one  another  to  see  who  the  offender  could  be. 
The  culprit  began  to  tremble. 

"  He  did  it  several  times  yesterday,  and  would  have  gone 
on  doing  it  had  I  not  spoken  about  it  to-day.  Do  you  think 
this  was  wrong  or  not  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;"  "  Wrong ;"  "  Wrong,"  are  the  replies. 

"What  harm  does  it  do?" 

"It  interrupts  the  school." 

"  Yes.     Is  there  any  other  harm  ?" 

The  boys  hesitate. 

"  It  gives  me  trouble  and  pain.  Should  you  not  suppose 
it  would?" 


THE  TEACHEH'S  FIKST  DAY.  317 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Have  I  ever  treated  any  boy  or  girl  in  this  school  unjust- 
ly or  unkindly?" 

"No,  sir;"  "No,  sir." 

"  Then  why  should  any  boy  or  girl  wish  to  give  me  trou- 
ble or  pain  ?" 

There  was  a  pause.  The  guilty  individual  expected  that 
the  next  thing  would  be  to  call  him  out  for  punishment. 

"  Now  what  do  you  think  I  ought  to  do  with  such  a  boy?" 

No  answer. 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  to  punish  him,  but  I  am  very  unwilling 
to  do  that.  I  concluded  to  try  another  plan — to  treat  him 
with  kindness  and  forbearance.  So  I  called  your  attention 
to  it  this  afternoon,  to  let  him  know  that  I  was  observing  it, 
and  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  remove  the  string.  And 
he  did.  He  went,  in  the  recess,  and  cut  off  the  string.  I 
shall  not  tell  you  his  name,  for  I  do  not  wish  to  injure  his 
character.  All  I  want  is  to  have  him  a  good  boy." 

A  pause. 

"  I  think  I  shall  try  this  plan,  for  he  must  have  some  feel- 
ings of  honor  and  gratitude,  and  if  he  has,  he  certainly  will 
not  try  to  give  me  pain  or  trouble  again  after  this.  And  now 
I  shall  say  no  more  about  it,  nor  think  any  more  about  it ; 
only,  to  prove  that  it  is  all  as  I  say,  if  you  look  there  under 
that  window  after  school,  you  will  see  the  lath  with  the  end 
of  the  string  round  it,  and,  by  pulling  it,  you  can  make  it 
snap." 

Another  case,  a  little  more  serious  in  its  character,  is  the 
following : 

A  teacher,  having  had  some  trouble  with  a  rude  and  sav- 
age-looking boy,  made  some  inquiry  respecting  him  out  of 
school,  and  incidentally  learned  that  he  had  once  or  twice 
before  openly  rebelled  against  the  authority  of  the  school, 
and  that  he  was  now,  in  the  recesses,  actually  preparing  a 


348  THE   TEACIIKII. 

club,  with  which  he  was  threatening  to  defend  himself  if  the 
teacher  should  attempt  to  punish  him. 

The  next  day,  soon  after  the  boys  had  gone  out,  he  took 
his  hat  and  followed  them,  and,  turning  round  a  corner  of 
the  school-house,  found  the  boys  standing  around  the  young 
rebel,  who  was  sitting  upon  a  log,  shaving  the  handle  of  the 
club  smooth  with  his  pocket-knife.  He  was  startled  at  the 
unexpected  appearance  of  the  teacher,  and  the  first  impulse 
was  to  hide  his  club  behind  him  ;  but  it  was  too  late,  and, 
supposing  that  the  teacher  was  ignorant  of  his  designs,  he 
went  on  sullenly  with  his  work,  feeling,  however,  greatly  em- 
barrassed. 

"  Pleasant  day,  boys,"  said  the  teacher.  "  This  is  a  fine 
sunny  nook  for  you  to  talk  in. 

"  Seems  to  me,  however,  you  ought  to  have  a  better  scat 
than  this  old  log,"  continued  he,  taking  his  scat  at  the  same 
time  by  the  side  of  the  boy. 

"Not  so  bad  a  seat,  however,  after  all.  What  arc  you 
making,  Joseph?" 

Joseph  mumbled  out  something  inarticulate  by  way  of  re- 
ply. 

"  I  have  got  a  sharper  knife,"  said  he,  drawing  his  pen- 
knife out  of  his  pocket.  And  then,  "Let  me  try  it,"  he  con- 
tinued, gently  taking  the  club  out  of  Joseph's  Tiand. 

The  boys  looked  surprised,  some  exchanged  nods  and  winks, 
others  turned  away  to  conceal  a  laugh  ;  but  the  teacher  en- 
gaged in  conversation  with  them,  and  soon  put  them  all  at 
their  ease  except  poor  Joseph,  who  could  not  tell  how  this 
strange  interview  was  likely  to  end. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  teacher  went  on  shaving  the  handle 
smooth  and  rounding  the  ends.  "You  want,"  said  he,  "a 
rasp  or  coarse  file  for  the  ends,  and  then  you  could  finish  it 
finely.  But  what  arc  you  making  this  formidable  club  for?" 

Joseph  was  completely  at  a  loss  what  to  say.  lie  began 
to  show  evident  marks  of  embarrassment  and  confusion. 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  349 

"I  know  what  it  is  for;  it  is  to  defend  yourself  against 
me  with.  Is  it  not,  boys'?"  said  he,  appealing  to  the  other?. 

A  faint  "  Yes,  sir"  or  two  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  now,  Joseph,  it  will  be  a  great  deal  better  for  us 
both  to  be  friends  than  to  be  enemies.  You  had  better  throw 
this  club  away,  and  save  yourself  from  punishment  by  being 
a  good  boy.  Come,  now,"  said  he,  handing -him  back  his 
club,  "throw  it  over  into  the  field  as  far  as  you  can,  and  wo 
will  all  forget  that  you  ever  made  it." 

Joseph  sat  the  picture  of  shame  and  confusion.  Better 
feelings  were  struggling  for  admission,  and  the  case  was  de- 
cided by  a  broad-faced,  good-natured-looking  boy,  who  stood 
by  his  siJe,  saying  almost  involuntarily, 

"  Better  throw  it,  Joe." 

The  club  flew,  end  over  end,  into  the  field.  Joseph  re- 
turned to  his  allegiance,  and  never  attempted  to  rise  in  rebell- 
ion again. 

The  ways  by  which  boys  engage  in  open,  intentional  dis- 
obedience are,  of  course,  greatly  varied,  and  the  exact  treat- 
ment will  depend  upon  the  features  of  the  individual  case ; 
but  the  frankness,  the  openness,  the  plain  dealing,  and  the 
kind  and  friendly  tone  which  it  is  the  object  of  the  foregoing 
illustrations  to  exhibit,  should  characterize  all. 

9.  We  have  already  alluded  to  the  importance  of  a  deli- 
cate regard  for  the  characters  of  the  boys  in  all  the  measures 
of  discipline  adopted  at  the  commencement  of  a  school.  This 
is,  in  fact,  of  the  highest  importance  at  all  times,  and  is  pe- 
culiarly so  at  the  outset.  A  wound  to  the  feelings  is  some- 
times inflicted  by  a  single  transaction  which  produces  a  last- 
ing injury  to  the  character.  Children  arc  very  sensitive  to 
ridicule  or  disgrace,  and  some  are  most  acutely  so.  A  cut- 
ting reproof  administered  in  public,  or  a  punishment  which 
exposes  the  individual  to  the  gaze  of  others,  will  often  burn 
far  more  deeply  into  the  heart  than  the  teacher  imagines. 

And  it  is  often  the  cause  of  great  and  lasting  injury,  too. 


350  THE   TEACHER. 

By  destroying  the  character  of  a  pupil,  you  make  him  feel 
that  he  has  nothing  more  to  lose  or  gain,  and  destroy  that 
kind  of  interest  in  his  own  moral  condition  which  alone  will 
allure  him  to  virtuous  conduct.  To  expose  children  to  pub- 
lic ridicule  or  contempt  tends  either  to  make  them  sullen 
and  despondent,  or  else  to  arouse  their  resentment  and  to 
make  them  reckless  and  desperate.  Most  persons  remember 
through  life  some  instances  in  their  early  childhood  in  which 
they  were  disgraced  or  ridiculed  at  school,  and  the  perma- 
nence of  the  recollection  is  a  test  of  the  violence  of  the  effect. 

Be  very  careful,  then,  to  avoid,  especially  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  school,  publicly  exposing  those  who  do  wrong. 
Sometimes  you  may  make  the  offense  public,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  snapping  of  the  lath,  described  under  a  former  head, 
while  you  kindly  conceal  the  name  of  the  offender.  Even  if 
the  school  generally  understand  who  he  is,  the  injury  of  pub- 
lic exposure  is  almost  altogether  avoided,  for  the  sense  of  dis- 
grace does  not  come  nearly  so  vividly  home  to  the  mind  of  a 
child  from  hearing  occasional  allusions  to  his  offense  by  indi- 
viduals among  his  playmates,  as  when  he  feels  himself,  at  a 
particular  time,  the  object  of  universal  attention  and  dishonor. 
And  then,  besides,  if  the  pupil  perceives  that  the  teacher  is 
tender  of  his  reputation,  he  Avill,  by  a  feeling  somewhere  be- 
tween imitation  and  sympathy,  begin  to  feel  a  little  tender  of 
it  too.  Every  exertion  should  be  made,  therefore,  to  lead 
children  to  value  their  character,  and  to  help  them  to  pre- 
serve it,  and  especially  to  avoid,  at  the  beginning,  every  un- 
necessary sacrifice  of  it. 

And  yet  there  are  cases  where  shame  is  the  very  best  pos- 
sible remedy  for  juvenile  faults.  If  a  boy,  for  example,  is 
self-conceited,  bold,  and  mischievous,  with  feelings  somewhat 
callous,  and  an  influence  extensive  and  bad,  an  opportunity 
will  sometimes  occur  to  hold  up  his  conduct  to  the  just  rep- 
robation of  the  school  with  great  advantage.  By  this  means, 
if  it  is  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  the  influence  of  tho 


THE  TEACHER'S  FIRST  DAY.  351 

school  on  the  right  side,  many  good  effects  are  sometimes  at- 
tained. His  pride  and  self-conceit  are  humbled,  his  bad  in- 
fluence receives  a  very  decided  check,  and  he  is  forced  to 
draw  back  at  once  from  the  prominent  stand  he  has  occupied. 

Richard  Jones,  for  example,  is  a  rude,  coarse,  self-conceit- 
ed boy,  often  doing  wrong  both  in  school  and  out,  and  yet 
possessed  of  that  peculiar  influence  which  a  bad  boy  often 
contrives  to  exert  in  school.  The  teacher,  after  watching 
some  time  for  an  opportunity  to  humble  him,  one  day  over- 
hears a  difficulty  among  the  boys,  and,  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow, observes  that  he  is  taking  away  a  sled  from  one  of  the 
little  boys  to  slide  down  hill  upon,  having  none  of  his  own. 
The  little  boy  resists  as  well  as  he  can,  and  complains  bitter- 
ly, but  it  is  of  no  avail. 

At  the  close  of  the  school  that  day,  the  teacher  commcrfccs 
conversation  on  the  subject  as  follows : 

"  Boys,  do  you  know  what  the  difference  is  between  steal- 
ing and  robbery?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"What?" 

The  boys  hesitate,  and  look  at  one  another. 

"  Suppose  a  thief  were  to  go  into  a  man's  store  in  the  day- 
time, and  take  away  something  secretly,  would  it  be  stealing 
or  robbery  T' 

"  Stealing." 

"  Suppose  he  should  meet  him  in  the  road,  and  take  it 
away  by  force?" 

"  Then  it  would  be  robbery." 

"Yes;  when  that  which  belongs  to  another  is  taken  se- 
cretly, it  is  called  stealing ;  when  it  is  taken  openly  or  with 
violence,  it  is  called  robbery.  Which,  now,  do  you  think  is 
the  worst?" 

"Robbery." 

"Yes,  for  it  is  more  barefaced  and  determined — then  it 
gives  a  great  deal  more  pain  to  the  one  who  is  injured.  To- 


352  THE   TEACIIKH. 

day  I  saw  one  of  the  boys  in  this  school  taking  away  another 
boy's  sled,  openly  and  with  violence." 

The  boys  all  look  round  toward  Richard. 

"Was  that  of  the  nature  of  stealing  or  robbery?" 

"  Robbery,"  say  the  boys. 

"Was  it  real  robbery?" 

They  hesitate. 

"  If  any  of  you  think  of  any  reason  why  it  was  not  real 
robbery,  you  may  name  it." 

"  He  gave  the  sled  back  to  him,"  says  one  of  the  boys. 

"  Yes ;  and  therefore,  to  describe  the  action  correctly,  we 
should  not  say  Richard  robbed  a  boy  of  his  sled,  but  that  he 
robbed  him  of  his  sled  for  a  time,  or  he  robbed  him  of  the  use 
of  his  sled^  Still,  in  respect  to  the  nature  and  the  guilt  of  it, 
it  was  robbery. 

"There  is  another  thing  which  ought  to  be  observed  about 
it.  Whose  sled  was  it  that  Richard  took  away  ?" 

"James  Thompson's." 

"James,  you  may  stand  up. 

"  Notice  his  size,  boys.  I  should  like  to  have  Richard 
Jones  stand  up  too,  so  that  you  might  compare  them  ;  but  I 
presume  he  feels  very  much  ashamed  of  what  he  has  done, 
and  it  would  be  very  unpleasant  for  him  to  stand  up.  You 
will  remember,  however,  how  large  he  is.  Now  when  I  was 
a  boy,  it  used  to  be  considered  dishonorable  and  cowardly  for 
a  large,  strong  boy  to  abuse  a  little  one  who  can  not  defend 
himself.  Is  it  considered  so  now  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  ought  to  be,  certainly ;  though,  were  it  not  for  such  a 
case  as  this,  we  should  not  have  thought  of  considering  Rich- 
ard Jones  a  coward.  It  seems  he  did  not  dare  to  try  to  take 
away  a  sled  from  a  boy  Avho  was  as  big  as  himself,  but  at- 
tacked little  James,  for  he  knew  he  was  not  strong  enough  to 
defend  himself." 


THE   TEACIIEU'S    FIRST   DAY.  353 

Now,  in  sonic  such  cases  as  this,  great  good  may  be  done, 
both  in  respect  to  the  individual  and  to  the  state  of  public 
sentiment  in  school,  by  openly  exposing  a  boy's  misconduct. 
The  teacher  must  always  take  care,  however,  that  the  state 
of  mind  and  character  in  the  guilty  individual  is  such  that 
public  exposure  is  adapted  to  work  well  as  a  remedy,  and 
also  that,  in  managing  it,  he  carries  the  sympathies  of  the 
other  boys  with  him.  To  secure  this,  he  must  avoid  all 
harsh  and  exaggerated  expressions  or  direct  reproaches,  and 
while  he  is  mild,  and  gentle,  and  forbearing  himself,  lead  the 
boys  to  understand  and  feel  the  nature  of  the  sin  which  ho 
exposes.  The  opportunities  for  doing  this  to  advantage  will, 
however,  be  rare.  Generally  it  will  be  best  to  manage  cases 
of  discipline  more  privately,  so  as  to  protect  the  characters 
of  those  that  offend. 

The  teacher  should  thus,  in  accordance  with  the  directions 
we  have  given,  commence  his  labors  with  careful  circumspec- 
tion, patience,  frankness,  and  honest  good-will  toward  every 
individual  of  his  charge.  lie  will  find  less  difficulty  at  the 
outset  than  he  would  have  expected,  and  soon  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  perceiving  that  a  mild  but  most  efficient  govern- 
ment is  quietly  and  firmly  established  in  the  little  kingdom 
over  which  he  is  called  to  rcijm- 


THE   END. 


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